The utilisation of legal instruments by United Nations actors to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing: a qualitative content analysis of UN instruments
Abstract Introduction United Nations (UN) agencies are influential global health actors that can introduce legal instruments to call on Member States to act on pressing issues. This paper examines the deployment and strength of global health law instruments used by UN actors to call on Member States...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Globalization and Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-023-00939-4 |
| _version_ | 1797789494521364480 |
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| author | Fiona Sing Sally Mackay Margherita Cinà Boyd Swinburn |
| author_facet | Fiona Sing Sally Mackay Margherita Cinà Boyd Swinburn |
| author_sort | Fiona Sing |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Introduction United Nations (UN) agencies are influential global health actors that can introduce legal instruments to call on Member States to act on pressing issues. This paper examines the deployment and strength of global health law instruments used by UN actors to call on Member States to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing. Methods Global health law instruments were identified from a review of four UN agencies that have a mandate over children’s exposure to marketing of unhealthy food and beverage products namely: the World Health Organization (WHO); the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Data on marketing restrictions were extracted and coded and descriptive qualitative content analysis was used to assess the strength of the instruments. Results A wide range of instruments have been used by the four agencies: seven by the WHO; two by the FAO; three by the UNGA; and eight by the UN human rights infrastructure. The UN human rights instruments used strong, consistent language and called for government regulations to be enacted in a directive manner. In contrast, the language calling for action by the WHO, FAO and UNGA was weaker, inconsistent, did not get stronger over time and varied according to the type of instrument used. Conclusion This study suggests that a child rights-based approach to restricting unhealthy food and beverage marketing to children would be supported by strong human rights legal instruments and would allow for more directive recommendations to Member States than is currently provided by WHO, FAO and UNGA. Strengthening the directives in the instruments to clarify Member States’ obligations using both WHO and child rights mandates would increase the utility of global health law and UN actors’ influence. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:51:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5879e3e59e524f5483c5457dd3b327b5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1744-8603 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:51:29Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Globalization and Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-5879e3e59e524f5483c5457dd3b327b52023-07-02T11:29:36ZengBMCGlobalization and Health1744-86032023-06-0119111210.1186/s12992-023-00939-4The utilisation of legal instruments by United Nations actors to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing: a qualitative content analysis of UN instrumentsFiona Sing0Sally Mackay1Margherita Cinà2Boyd Swinburn3School of Population Health, University of AucklandSchool of Population Health, University of AucklandO’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law CenterSchool of Population Health, University of AucklandAbstract Introduction United Nations (UN) agencies are influential global health actors that can introduce legal instruments to call on Member States to act on pressing issues. This paper examines the deployment and strength of global health law instruments used by UN actors to call on Member States to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing. Methods Global health law instruments were identified from a review of four UN agencies that have a mandate over children’s exposure to marketing of unhealthy food and beverage products namely: the World Health Organization (WHO); the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Data on marketing restrictions were extracted and coded and descriptive qualitative content analysis was used to assess the strength of the instruments. Results A wide range of instruments have been used by the four agencies: seven by the WHO; two by the FAO; three by the UNGA; and eight by the UN human rights infrastructure. The UN human rights instruments used strong, consistent language and called for government regulations to be enacted in a directive manner. In contrast, the language calling for action by the WHO, FAO and UNGA was weaker, inconsistent, did not get stronger over time and varied according to the type of instrument used. Conclusion This study suggests that a child rights-based approach to restricting unhealthy food and beverage marketing to children would be supported by strong human rights legal instruments and would allow for more directive recommendations to Member States than is currently provided by WHO, FAO and UNGA. Strengthening the directives in the instruments to clarify Member States’ obligations using both WHO and child rights mandates would increase the utility of global health law and UN actors’ influence.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-023-00939-4Global health lawMarketingChild rightsGlobal health governance |
| spellingShingle | Fiona Sing Sally Mackay Margherita Cinà Boyd Swinburn The utilisation of legal instruments by United Nations actors to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing: a qualitative content analysis of UN instruments Globalization and Health Global health law Marketing Child rights Global health governance |
| title | The utilisation of legal instruments by United Nations actors to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing: a qualitative content analysis of UN instruments |
| title_full | The utilisation of legal instruments by United Nations actors to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing: a qualitative content analysis of UN instruments |
| title_fullStr | The utilisation of legal instruments by United Nations actors to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing: a qualitative content analysis of UN instruments |
| title_full_unstemmed | The utilisation of legal instruments by United Nations actors to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing: a qualitative content analysis of UN instruments |
| title_short | The utilisation of legal instruments by United Nations actors to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing: a qualitative content analysis of UN instruments |
| title_sort | utilisation of legal instruments by united nations actors to restrict the exposure of children to unhealthy food and beverage marketing a qualitative content analysis of un instruments |
| topic | Global health law Marketing Child rights Global health governance |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-023-00939-4 |
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