Child-directed marketing on packaged breakfast cereals in South Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID15096554
AuthorsAlice S Khan (0000-0003-1011-3693, University of the Western Cape, corresponding author), Tamryn Frank (0000-0002-5180-9171, University of the Western Cape), Rina Swart (0000-0002-7786-3117, University of the Western Cape)
Year2023
Volume26
Issue10
Pages2139-2148
Publication date2023-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePublic Health Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1368-9800 • E-ISSN: 1475-2727
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1368980023001507
PMID37539472
OpenAlexW4385564840
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited44

Objective: Childhood obesity is on the rise in South Africa (SA), and child-directed marketing (CDM) is one of the contributing factors to children’s unhealthy food choices. This study assessed CDM on packaged breakfast cereals available in SA supermarkets and their nutritional quality. Design: Photographic images were examined in a descriptive quantitative study. A codebook of definitions of CDM was developed for this purpose. REDCap, an online research database, was used for data capturing, and SPSS was used for data analyses including cross-tabulations and one-way ANOVA. Setting: The current study was set in the Western Cape province of SA. Subjects: Photographic images of all packaged breakfast cereals sold in major retailers in the Western Cape province of SA in 2019 were studied. Results: CDM strategies were classified as direct (to the child) or indirect (through the parent). A total of 222 breakfast cereals were studied, of which 96·9 % had a nutritional or health claim, 95·0 % had illustrations, 75·2 % had product and consumption appeals, 10·8 % had characters, 10·8 % consisted of different appeals, 8·6 % alluded to fantasy and 7·7 % had role models. In breakfast cereals with direct CDM, the protein and fibre content was significantly lower than in breakfast cereals without direct CDM. This study found a significantly higher total carbohydrate and total sugar content in breakfast cereals with direct CDM than those without direct CDM. Conclusion: CDM was highly prevalent in breakfast cereals sold in SA. Regulations to curb the marketing of packaged foods high in nutrients of concern is recommended

Agricultural science · Biology · Breakfast cereal · Business · Descriptive statistics · Environmental health · Geography · Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology · Mathematics · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Food Science · Marketing

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