Television viewing and exposure to food-related commercials among European school children, associations with fruit and vegetable intake: a cross sectional study.

Abstract

Europese jongeren eten weinig groenten en fruit en televisiekijken is negatief geassocieerd met het eten van groenten en fruit. Deze studie onderzoekt de blootstelling aan voedingsreclames op televisie in negen Europese landen, waaronder België. Relaties tussen voedingsreclame en het eten van groenten en fruit werden onderzocht, alsmede het mogelijk mediërende effect van een positieve attitudes ten aanzien van groenten en fruit.

Een cross-sectioneel onderzoek vond plaats in 2003. Data over het consumeren van groenten en fruit en aanverwante informatie werd verkregen middels vragenlijsten, ingevuld door 11- jarige schoolkinderen (N=13,035). Door middel van variantieanalyse werden blootstelling aan tv-reclames, geslacht en sociale klasse geanalyseerd. Multipele lineaire regressieanalyses werden gebruikt om de relaties te onderzoeken en de mediatiehypothese te toetsen.

De grote meerderheid van de kinderen in alle negen deelnemende landen gaven aan recentelijk een aantal tv-reclames te hebben gezien, en dit betrof vaker een reclame voor ongezond voedsel dan voor fruit en groenten (cijfers in Engelstalige abstract). Jongens keken iets vaker tv dan meisjes, net als kinderen van lagere sociale klassen. Voor alle landen gold dat blootstelling aan tv reclame voor gezond voedsel positief geassocieerd werd met het eten van groenten en fruit. Deze relatie werd deels gemedieerd door positieve attitudes ten aanzien van groenten en fruit.

Fruit and vegetable intake is low among European children and exposure to TV is negatively associated with the intake of fruit and vegetables. The aim of the present study was to explore exposure to food commercials on TV in nine European countries. Associations between such exposure and intake of fruit and vegetables and possible mediating effects of attitudes toward and liking of fruit and vegetables were assessed. A cross-sectional survey was performed in nine European countries, i.e. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, from OctoberDecember 2003, as a part of the Pro Children study. Data on usual intake of fruit and vegetables, and related correlates were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire among 11-year-old school children (mean age 11.4 (sd = 0.48), 50.2% boys). Complete data was available for 13,035 children. Differences in exposure to TV ads between countries, gender and social class were explored by analysis of variance. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to test associations between exposure to TV ads and intake and to assess mediating effects.

The large majority of children in all nine countries report recent exposure to a number of TV ads for food, and they were more often exposed to ads for unhealthy food than for fruit and vegetables (mean of 2.2 (sd = 1.0) unhealthy ads vs. mean of 1.7 (sd = 1.0) healthy ads; p < 0.001). Boys reported somewhat higher TV viewing than girls did (2.5 (sd = 1.7) vs. 2.2 (sd = 1.6) hours per day; p < 0.001), and children from lower social classes reported higher TV viewing than higher social class children did (2.4 (sd = 1.7) vs. 2.0 (sd = 1.5); p < 0.001). Across all countries, exposure to TV ads for healthy foods was positively associated (r = 0.09–0.16) with reported fruit and vegetable intake. This association was in part mediated by attitudes toward and liking of fruit and vegetables.

Exposure to TV ads for fruit and vegetables appear to be associated with fruit and vegetable consumption among European school children. This relationship is in part mediated through cognitive factors such as attitudes and preferences concerning fruit and vegetables.