Amount of Hispanic Youth Exposure to Food and Beverage Advertising on Spanish- and English-Language Television Exposure of Hispanic Youth to Advertising

Fleming-Milici F, Harris JL, Sarda V, et al. — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Importance

Exposure to large numbers of television advertisements for foods and beverages with little or no nutritional value likely contributes to poor diet among youth. Given higher rates of obesity and overweight for Hispanic youth, it is important to understand the amount and types of food advertising they view.

Objective

To quantify the amount of food and beverage advertising viewed by Hispanic youth on Spanish- and English-language television and compare it with the amount of food and beverage advertising viewed by non-Hispanic youth.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Data on gross rating points that measured advertising viewed on national broadcast and cable television in 2010 using a Nielsen panel of television-viewing households of Hispanic and non-Hispanic preschoolers (2-5 years), children (6-11 years), and adolescents (12-17 years).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Food and beverage television advertisements viewed on English- and Spanish-language television by product category and television-viewing times by age and language preference.

Exposure

Food and beverage advertising on Spanish- and English-language television.

Results

In 2010, Hispanic preschoolers, children, and adolescents viewed, on average, 11.6 to 12.4 television food ads per day; the majority of these ads (75%-85%) appeared on English-language television. Fast food represented a higher proportion of food ads on Spanish-language television. Consistent with television-viewing patterns, Hispanic preschoolers saw more Spanish-language food advertisements than did Hispanic children and adolescents. Owing to somewhat less food advertising on Spanish-language television, Hispanic children and adolescents viewed 14% and 24% fewer food ads overall, respectively, compared with non-Hispanic youth. Spanish-language television viewing was highly concentrated among youth who primarily speak Spanish.

Conclusions and Relevance

Both Hispanic and non-Hispanic youth view large numbers of television advertisements for nutrient-poor categories of food and beverage. Although Hispanic children and adolescents see somewhat fewer of these ads, the higher obesity rates among Hispanic youth, the greater exposure by Hispanic preschoolers, and the potential enhanced effects of targeted advertising on Hispanic youth suggest that this exposure may pose additional risks for Hispanic youth. Continued monitoring is warranted owing to food companies' stated intentions to increase marketing to Hispanics.

Parental Cultural Attitudes and Beliefs Regarding Young Children and Television Cultural Attitudes, Young Children, and Television

Njoroge WM, Elenbaas LM, Garrison MM, et al. — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Importance

Research has shown that preschool-aged children spend considerable time with media, and risks and benefits for cognitive and behavioral outcomes exist depending on what is watched and how it is watched.

Objective

To examine the associations among child race/ethnicity, parental beliefs/attitudes about television (TV) and child development, and TV viewing habits of young children, and to assess reasons for existing racial/ethnic disparities in children's media use.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Parents completed demographic questionnaires, reported on attitudes regarding media's risks and benefits to their children, and completed 1-week media diaries where they recorded all of the programs their children watched. Enrollment was from March 13, 2009, to April 12, 2010. The study was conducted at 2 metropolitan Seattle pediatric clinics and an academic practice network, each serving a diverse population of patients, and involved a community-based sample of 596 parents of children aged 3 to 5 years.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Parental beliefs/attitudes regarding screen time and TV viewing habits of young children.

Results

Overall, children watched an average (SD) of 462.0 (315.5) minutes of TV per week. African American children watched more TV per week than non-Hispanic white children (mean [SD], 638.0 [450.9] vs 431.0 [282.6] minutes; P < .01); however, these differences were no longer statistically significant after controlling for attitudes and demographic covariates (eg, family socioeconomic status). It is important to note that socioeconomic status confounded the results for race/ethnicity, and the association between race/ethnicity and media time across the sample was no longer statistically significant after adjusting for family socioeconomic status. However, significant differences were found between parents of ethnically/racially diverse children and parents of non-Hispanic white children regarding the perceived positive effects of TV viewing, even when parental education and family income were taken into account.

Conclusions and Relevance

Differences in parental beliefs/attitudes regarding the effects of media on early childhood development may help explain growing racial/ethnic disparities in child media viewing/habits, but more research is needed to understand the cultural nuances of the observed differences.

AMA Publishing Group: Media and Children Topic Collection

Amount of Hispanic Youth Exposure to Food and Beverage Advertising on Spanish- and English-Language Television Exposure of Hispanic Youth to Advertising

Parental Cultural Attitudes and Beliefs Regarding Young Children and Television Cultural Attitudes, Young Children, and Television