Adolescent exposure to food and beverage marketing on social media by gender: a pilot study
Abstract Objective: The objective of this research was to determine if, based on gender, adolescents were exposed to different marketing techniques that promoted food and beverages over social media. Design: A secondary analysis of adolescent boy (n 26) and girl (n 36) exposures (n 139) to food...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | Public Health Nutrition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980022002312/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797742021919637504 |
|---|---|
| author | Ashley Amson Elise Pauzé Lauren Remedios Meghan Pritchard Monique Potvin Kent |
| author_facet | Ashley Amson Elise Pauzé Lauren Remedios Meghan Pritchard Monique Potvin Kent |
| author_sort | Ashley Amson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Abstract
Objective:
The objective of this research was to determine if, based on gender, adolescents were exposed to different marketing techniques that promoted food and beverages over social media.
Design:
A secondary analysis of adolescent boy (n 26) and girl (n 36) exposures (n 139) to food and beverage marketing was conducted. Mann–Whitney U and Fisher’s exact tests were conducted to compare the number, healthfulness and the marketing techniques of exposures viewed by boys and girls.
Setting:
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Participants:
Sixty-two adolescents aged 12–16 years.
Results:
Boys and girls were exposed to similar volumes of food marketing instances (median = 2 for both boys and girls, Mann–Whitney U = 237, P = 0·51) per 10-min period of social media use. More girls viewed products that were excessive in total fat compared to boys (67 % v. 35 %, P = 0·02). Boys were more likely to view instances of food marketing featuring a male as the dominant user (50 % v. 22 %, P = 0·03), appeals to achievement (42 % v. 17 %, P = 0·04), an influencer (42 % v. 14 %, P = 0·02) and appeals to athleticism (35 % v. 11 %, P = 0·03), whereas girls were more likely to view instances of food marketing featuring quizzes, surveys or polls (25 % v. 0 %, P = 0·01).
Conclusions:
Food and beverage companies utilise marketing techniques that differ based on gender. More research examining the relationship between digital food and beverage marketing and gender is required to inform the development of gender-sensitive policies aimed at protecting adolescents from unhealthy food marketing.
|
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:35:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-332c60c698cf44d59de6b7de2ce3de31 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1368-9800 1475-2727 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T14:35:03Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Public Health Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj.art-332c60c698cf44d59de6b7de2ce3de312023-08-17T10:00:44ZengCambridge University PressPublic Health Nutrition1368-98001475-27272023-01-0126334510.1017/S1368980022002312Adolescent exposure to food and beverage marketing on social media by gender: a pilot studyAshley Amson0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6120-3173Elise Pauzé1Lauren Remedios2Meghan Pritchard3Monique Potvin Kent4University of Ottawa, Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Ottawa, ON, CanadaUniversity of Ottawa, Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Ottawa, ON, CanadaUniversity of Ottawa, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, 600 Peter Morand, Room 301J, Ottawa, ON K1N 7K4, CanadaUniversity of Ottawa, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, 600 Peter Morand, Room 301J, Ottawa, ON K1N 7K4, CanadaUniversity of Ottawa, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, 600 Peter Morand, Room 301J, Ottawa, ON K1N 7K4, Canada Abstract Objective: The objective of this research was to determine if, based on gender, adolescents were exposed to different marketing techniques that promoted food and beverages over social media. Design: A secondary analysis of adolescent boy (n 26) and girl (n 36) exposures (n 139) to food and beverage marketing was conducted. Mann–Whitney U and Fisher’s exact tests were conducted to compare the number, healthfulness and the marketing techniques of exposures viewed by boys and girls. Setting: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Participants: Sixty-two adolescents aged 12–16 years. Results: Boys and girls were exposed to similar volumes of food marketing instances (median = 2 for both boys and girls, Mann–Whitney U = 237, P = 0·51) per 10-min period of social media use. More girls viewed products that were excessive in total fat compared to boys (67 % v. 35 %, P = 0·02). Boys were more likely to view instances of food marketing featuring a male as the dominant user (50 % v. 22 %, P = 0·03), appeals to achievement (42 % v. 17 %, P = 0·04), an influencer (42 % v. 14 %, P = 0·02) and appeals to athleticism (35 % v. 11 %, P = 0·03), whereas girls were more likely to view instances of food marketing featuring quizzes, surveys or polls (25 % v. 0 %, P = 0·01). Conclusions: Food and beverage companies utilise marketing techniques that differ based on gender. More research examining the relationship between digital food and beverage marketing and gender is required to inform the development of gender-sensitive policies aimed at protecting adolescents from unhealthy food marketing. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980022002312/type/journal_articleAdolescentsGenderFood marketingMarketing techniquesSocial media |
| spellingShingle | Ashley Amson Elise Pauzé Lauren Remedios Meghan Pritchard Monique Potvin Kent Adolescent exposure to food and beverage marketing on social media by gender: a pilot study Public Health Nutrition Adolescents Gender Food marketing Marketing techniques Social media |
| title | Adolescent exposure to food and beverage marketing on social media by gender: a pilot study |
| title_full | Adolescent exposure to food and beverage marketing on social media by gender: a pilot study |
| title_fullStr | Adolescent exposure to food and beverage marketing on social media by gender: a pilot study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Adolescent exposure to food and beverage marketing on social media by gender: a pilot study |
| title_short | Adolescent exposure to food and beverage marketing on social media by gender: a pilot study |
| title_sort | adolescent exposure to food and beverage marketing on social media by gender a pilot study |
| topic | Adolescents Gender Food marketing Marketing techniques Social media |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980022002312/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ashleyamson adolescentexposuretofoodandbeveragemarketingonsocialmediabygenderapilotstudy AT elisepauze adolescentexposuretofoodandbeveragemarketingonsocialmediabygenderapilotstudy AT laurenremedios adolescentexposuretofoodandbeveragemarketingonsocialmediabygenderapilotstudy AT meghanpritchard adolescentexposuretofoodandbeveragemarketingonsocialmediabygenderapilotstudy AT moniquepotvinkent adolescentexposuretofoodandbeveragemarketingonsocialmediabygenderapilotstudy |