Background and Aims
Youth alcohol consumption is a major global public health concern. Previous reviews have concluded that exposure to alcohol marketing was associated with earlier drinking ...initiation and higher alcohol consumption among youth. This review examined longitudinal studies published since those earlier reviews.
Methods
Peer‐reviewed papers were identified in medical, scientific and social science databases, supplemented by examination of reference lists. Non‐peer‐reviewed papers were included if they were published by organizations deemed to be authoritative, were fully referenced and contained primary data not available elsewhere. Papers were restricted to those that included measures of marketing exposure and alcohol consumption for at least 500 underage people. Multiple authors reviewed studies for inclusion and assessed their quality using the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Quality Assessment Tool for Observation Cohort and Cross‐Sectional Studies.
Results
Twelve studies (ranging in duration from 9 months to 8 years), following nine unique cohorts not reported on previously involving 35 219 participants from Europe, Asia and North America, met inclusion criteria. All 12 found evidence of a positive association between level of marketing exposure and level of youth alcohol consumption. Some found significant associations between youth exposure to alcohol marketing and initiation of alcohol use (odds ratios ranging from 1.00 to 1.69), and there were clear associations between exposure and subsequent binge or hazardous drinking (odds ratios ranging from 1.38 to 2.15). Mediators included marketing receptivity, brand recognition and alcohol expectancies. Levels of marketing exposure among younger adolescents were similar to those found among older adolescents and young adults.
Conclusions
Young people who have greater exposure to alcohol marketing appear to be more likely subsequently to initiate alcohol use and engage in binge and hazardous drinking.
Summary
Obesity prevention policies are a priority for many governments and intergovernmental agencies. Policy makers not only use systematic reviews of effectiveness but also consider contextual ...issues including cost and cost‐effectiveness, equity, rights, acceptability and feasibility. To support their work, the present narrative review examines three contextual issues (costs, equity and acceptability) in relation to three policies for obesity prevention: sweetened beverage taxes, front‐of‐pack nutrition labelling and restrictions on advertising to children. Literature searches led to over 1100 documents, of which 125 informed the present review. Beverage taxes were found likely to be highly cost‐effective, moderately favourable for health equity, supported by the public (depending on the use of revenues) and by health professionals and civil society groups and opposed by commercial interests. Depending on the design, front‐of‐pack nutritional labelling is likely to be highly cost‐effective, moderately favourable for health equity, supported by the public, health professionals and civil society groups, and opposed by commercial interests. Restrictions on child‐directed advertising are likely to be highly cost‐effective in the longer term, moderately favourable for health equity, supported by the public, health professionals and civil society groups and opposed by commercial interests (unless voluntary). The evidence base needs strengthening, but the authors find that all three policies merit consideration by governmental authorities, and should be implemented to reduce obesity risk.
Background and aims
The rising use of digital media in the last decade, including social networking media and downloadable applications, has created new opportunities for marketing a wide range of ...goods and services, including alcohol products. This paper aims to review the evidence in order to answer a series of policy‐relevant questions: does alcohol marketing through digital media influence drinking behaviour or increases consumption; what methods of promotional marketing are used, and to what extent; and what is the evidence of marketing code violations and especially of marketing to children?
Method and findings
A search of scientific, medical and social journals and authoritative grey literature identified 47 relevant papers (including 14 grey literature documents). The evidence indicated (i) that exposure to marketing through digital media was associated with higher levels of drinking behaviour; (ii) that the marketing activities make use of materials and approaches that are attractive to young people and encourage interactive engagement with branded messaging; and (iii) there is evidence that current alcohol marketing codes are being undermined by alcohol producers using digital media.
Conclusions
There is evidence to support public health interventions to restrict the commercial promotion of alcohol in digital media, especially measures to protect children and youth.
► There is a complex picture of rules, codes and pledges on marketing to children. ► An analysis of these rules and pledges show significant gaps and weaknesses. ► International agencies locate ...responsibility for standards with national governments. ► The UK government could address most gaps except cross-border marketing.
In 2011 the National Heart Forum completed a commission from the UK Department of Health to conduct a mapping and consultation exercise on the marketing and promotion of food and drinks to children. One of the outputs was an analysis of the regulatory environment including statutory and self-regulatory rules and voluntary codes of conduct. The key findings and observations from this analysis are presented in this short report.
In the United States Campbell Soup put salt back into 31 products after gaining credit for its earlier salt reduction. 2 PepsiCo, which promoted Better-for-You products as a response to the obesity ...problem, faced criticisms from Wall Street analysts when it began to lose market share 3 and has since increased marketing for its cola and crisps, spending $600m in North America alone. ...regulation can achieve lasting change: UK tobacco laws (advertising bans, taxes, and enforcement of smoke-free public spaces) support social norms that were politically unacceptable barely a decade ago.
The composition of habitual diets is associated with adverse or protective effects on aspects of health. Consequently, UK public health policy strongly advocates dietary change for the improvement of ...population health and emphasises the importance of individual empowerment to improve health. A new and evolving area in the promotion of dietary behavioural change is e-Learning, the use of interactive electronic media to facilitate teaching and learning on a range of issues, including diet and health. The aims of this systematic review are to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of adaptive e-Learning for improving dietary behaviours.
The research will consist of a systematic review and a cost-effectiveness analysis. Studies will be considered for the review if they are randomised controlled trials, involving participants aged 13 or over, which evaluate the effectiveness or efficacy of interactive software programmes for improving dietary behaviour. Primary outcome measures will be those related to dietary behaviours, including estimated intakes of energy, nutrients and dietary fibre, or the estimated number of servings per day of foods or food groups. Secondary outcome measures will be objective clinical measures that are likely to respond to changes in dietary behaviours, such as anthropometry or blood biochemistry. Knowledge, self-efficacy, intention and emotion will be examined as mediators of dietary behaviour change in order to explore potential mechanisms of action. Databases will be searched using a comprehensive four-part search strategy, and the results exported to a bibliographic database. Two review authors will independently screen results to identify potentially eligible studies, and will independently extract data from included studies, with any discrepancies at each stage settled by a third author. Standardised forms and criteria will be used.A descriptive analysis of included studies will describe study design, participants, the intervention, and outcomes. Statistical analyses appropriate to the data extracted, and an economic evaluation using a cost-utility analysis, will be undertaken if sufficient data exist, and effective components of successful interventions will be investigated.
This review aims to provide comprehensive evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of adaptive e-Learning interventions for dietary behaviour change, and explore potential psychological mechanisms of action and the effective components of effective interventions. This can inform policy makers and healthcare commissioners in deciding whether e-Learning should be part of a comprehensive response to the improvement of dietary behaviour for health, and if so which components should be present for interventions to be effective.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility and utility of developing an independently defined and accredited benchmark standard for responsible food marketing. To identify ...provisional evidence and insights on factors likely to be critical to its successful development and its capacity to strengthen the effectiveness of responsible food marketing policy.
Design/methodology/approach
– Desk-based cross-policy domain case study.
Findings
– There is promising evidence that the development and deployment of an evidence-based, independently defined and verified responsible food marketing standard is feasible. Provisional findings on factors critical to the development of an effective standard and strategically significant evidence gaps are presented as insights in support of future food marketing policy and research planning.
Research limitations/implications
– Further investigation of these preliminary findings is required.
Practical implications
– The study has provisionally identified an innovative intervention with the potential to strengthen statutory, voluntary and internationally coordinated food marketing control policy approaches.
Originality/value
– This is the first report of research into the potential for an independent benchmark standard to advance and strengthen responsible food marketing policy goals.
Background and aims The rising use of digital media in the last decade, including social networking media and downloadable applications, has created new opportunities for marketing a wide range of ...goods and services, including alcohol products. This paper aims to review the evidence in order to answer a series of policy-relevant questions: does alcohol marketing through digital media influence drinking behaviour or increases consumption; what methods of promotional marketing are used, and to what extent; and what is the evidence of marketing code violations and especially of marketing to children? Method and findings A search of scientific, medical and social journals and authoritative grey literature identified 47 relevant papers (including 14 grey literature documents). The evidence indicated (i) that exposure to marketing through digital media was associated with higher levels of drinking behaviour; (ii) that the marketing activities make use of materials and approaches that are attractive to young people and encourage interactive engagement with branded messaging; and (iii) there is evidence that current alcohol marketing codes are being undermined by alcohol producers using digital media. Conclusions There is evidence to support public health interventions to restrict the commercial promotion of alcohol in digital media, especially measures to protect children and youth. Reprinted by permission of Blackwell Publishing
Background and Aims: Youth alcohol consumption is a major global public health concern. Previous reviews have concluded that exposure to alcohol marketing was associated with earlier drinking ...initiation and higher alcohol consumption among youth. This review examined longitudinal studies published since those earlier reviews. Methods: Peer-reviewed papers were identified in medical, scientific and social science databases, supplemented by examination of reference lists. Non-peer-reviewed papers were included if they were published by organizations deemed to be authoritative, were fully referenced and contained primary data not available elsewhere. Papers were restricted to those that included measures of marketing exposure and alcohol consumption for at least 500 underage people. Multiple authors reviewed studies for inclusion and assessed their quality using the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Quality Assessment Tool for Observation Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Results: Twelve studies (ranging in duration from 9 months to 8 years), following nine unique cohorts not reported on previously involving 35 219 participants from Europe, Asia and North America, met inclusion criteria. All 12 found evidence of a positive association between level of marketing exposure and level of youth alcohol consumption. Some found significant associations between youth exposure to alcohol marketing and initiation of alcohol use (odds ratios ranging from 1.00 to 1.69), and there were clear associations between exposure and subsequent binge or hazardous drinking (odds ratios ranging from 1.38 to 2.15). Mediators included marketing receptivity, brand recognition and alcohol expectancies. Levels of marketing exposure among younger adolescents were similar to those found among older adolescents and young adults. Conclusions: Young people who have greater exposure to alcohol marketing appear to be more likely subsequently to initiate alcohol use and engage in binge and hazardous drinking. Reprinted by permission of Blackwell Publishing
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