A systematic review of the adolescent‐directed marketing strategies of transnational fast food companies in low‐ and middle‐income countries
Abstract Introduction Fast food consumption is associated with excessive intake of energy‐dense foods; a major determinant of childhood obesity. The lack of data on the marketing strategies used to promote fast food to adolescents in low and middle‐income countries (LMICs) acts as a barrier to globa...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Obesity Science & Practice |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.676 |
| _version_ | 1797396922235879424 |
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| author | Elijah Bankole Neil Harris Shannon Rutherford Nicola Wiseman |
| author_facet | Elijah Bankole Neil Harris Shannon Rutherford Nicola Wiseman |
| author_sort | Elijah Bankole |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Introduction Fast food consumption is associated with excessive intake of energy‐dense foods; a major determinant of childhood obesity. The lack of data on the marketing strategies used to promote fast food to adolescents in low and middle‐income countries (LMICs) acts as a barrier to global efforts to reduce the marketing of unhealthy foods to young people around the world. Objectives This systematic review aimed to identify the adolescent‐directed marketing strategies of transnational fast food corporations in LMICs. Methods A systematic search of eight scientific databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Medline, Embase, ProQuest, PsycInfo, Scopus and Google Scholar) was conducted. Following PRISMA guidelines, primary research articles written in English were included if they were published between 1 January 2010 and 30 December 2022, and reported any adolescent‐directed marketing activity undertaken by a transnational fast food company operating in a LMIC. Articles were excluded if they were not peer reviewed. The quality of the included articles was assessed using a condensed version of the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research tool. Results Twelve articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. A narrative synthesis of these articles revealed that the most documented strategies used to promote fast food to adolescents in LMICs were the use of incentives or premium offers, product appeals, promotional characters and brand familiarity. These strategies were mostly observed on social media, suggesting that there are serious concerns about adolescent exposure to fast food via social media in developing settings, especially as contextual differences in the nature of such marketing were identified. Discussion The promotion of fast food to adolescents in LMICs is contextual in nature, with the nature of marketing strategies employed by transnational fast food corporations varying greatly across cultural and socio‐economic contexts. These findings are crucial for the development of guidelines and regulations restricting the marketing of fast food to adolescents in lower income settings, contributing to global efforts to reduce adolescent exposure to unhealthy food promotion. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:02:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-43f27b69acf84817bda462ea7bbdfcdb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2055-2238 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:02:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Obesity Science & Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-43f27b69acf84817bda462ea7bbdfcdb2023-12-11T14:31:02ZengWileyObesity Science & Practice2055-22382023-12-019667068010.1002/osp4.676A systematic review of the adolescent‐directed marketing strategies of transnational fast food companies in low‐ and middle‐income countriesElijah Bankole0Neil Harris1Shannon Rutherford2Nicola Wiseman3Public Health School of Medicine and Dentistry Griffith University Gold Coast Queensland AustraliaPublic Health School of Medicine and Dentistry Griffith University Gold Coast Queensland AustraliaPublic Health School of Medicine and Dentistry Griffith University Gold Coast Queensland AustraliaPublic Health School of Medicine and Dentistry Griffith University Gold Coast Queensland AustraliaAbstract Introduction Fast food consumption is associated with excessive intake of energy‐dense foods; a major determinant of childhood obesity. The lack of data on the marketing strategies used to promote fast food to adolescents in low and middle‐income countries (LMICs) acts as a barrier to global efforts to reduce the marketing of unhealthy foods to young people around the world. Objectives This systematic review aimed to identify the adolescent‐directed marketing strategies of transnational fast food corporations in LMICs. Methods A systematic search of eight scientific databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Medline, Embase, ProQuest, PsycInfo, Scopus and Google Scholar) was conducted. Following PRISMA guidelines, primary research articles written in English were included if they were published between 1 January 2010 and 30 December 2022, and reported any adolescent‐directed marketing activity undertaken by a transnational fast food company operating in a LMIC. Articles were excluded if they were not peer reviewed. The quality of the included articles was assessed using a condensed version of the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research tool. Results Twelve articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. A narrative synthesis of these articles revealed that the most documented strategies used to promote fast food to adolescents in LMICs were the use of incentives or premium offers, product appeals, promotional characters and brand familiarity. These strategies were mostly observed on social media, suggesting that there are serious concerns about adolescent exposure to fast food via social media in developing settings, especially as contextual differences in the nature of such marketing were identified. Discussion The promotion of fast food to adolescents in LMICs is contextual in nature, with the nature of marketing strategies employed by transnational fast food corporations varying greatly across cultural and socio‐economic contexts. These findings are crucial for the development of guidelines and regulations restricting the marketing of fast food to adolescents in lower income settings, contributing to global efforts to reduce adolescent exposure to unhealthy food promotion.https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.676adolescentsfast foodmarketingobesity |
| spellingShingle | Elijah Bankole Neil Harris Shannon Rutherford Nicola Wiseman A systematic review of the adolescent‐directed marketing strategies of transnational fast food companies in low‐ and middle‐income countries Obesity Science & Practice adolescents fast food marketing obesity |
| title | A systematic review of the adolescent‐directed marketing strategies of transnational fast food companies in low‐ and middle‐income countries |
| title_full | A systematic review of the adolescent‐directed marketing strategies of transnational fast food companies in low‐ and middle‐income countries |
| title_fullStr | A systematic review of the adolescent‐directed marketing strategies of transnational fast food companies in low‐ and middle‐income countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | A systematic review of the adolescent‐directed marketing strategies of transnational fast food companies in low‐ and middle‐income countries |
| title_short | A systematic review of the adolescent‐directed marketing strategies of transnational fast food companies in low‐ and middle‐income countries |
| title_sort | systematic review of the adolescent directed marketing strategies of transnational fast food companies in low and middle income countries |
| topic | adolescents fast food marketing obesity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.676 |
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