Open AccessThe effects of different regulation systems on television food advertising to children
Author(s) -
Kelly Bridget,
King Lesley,
Bauman Adrian,
Smith Ben J.,
Flood Victoria
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2007.00083.x
Subject(s) - advertising , television advertising , unhealthy food , business , core (optical fiber) , marketing , medicine , telecommunications , engineering , obesity
Objective:The aim of this study was to model children's potential exposure to television food advertisements under different regulatory scenarios to demonstrate the policy implications of regulatory change in Australia.Methods:Television advertising data was collected from Sydney commercial television channels from 14–20 May 2006. Extrapolating from these data, the patterns of food advertising under four regulatory scenarios were examined, including arrangements restricting the content, volume and timing of advertisements.Results:Each scenario resulted in a reduction of total and non‐core food advertisements. The scenario to restrict non‐core food advertisements during the major viewing period (7:00‐20:30) led to the largest reduction in total and non‐core food advertisements (79.2% reduction), with no change in the frequency of core food advertisements.Conclusions:The results illustrate the potential for reducing children's exposure to food advertising through simple regulatory restrictions.Implications:This research contributes to future debates on the regulation of television food advertising. It is particularly relevant as Australian regulations will be under review in 2007.