Advertising and Fictional Media Effects on Healthy Eating Choices in Early and Later Childhood

The influence of advertisements on children's healthy eating choices continues to be an issue of great concern to policymakers, activists, and parents. However, these influences have not been examined closely from a developmental perspective. The current analysis examines advertising effects on a sample of 304 mainly Hispanic children aged 3 to 12. Using a randomized experimental design, children were exposed to either advertisements or fictional entertainment clips with healthy or unhealthy food options. Children were also randomized to conditions wherein their parents either encouraged them to select healthy options or whatever food options they most wanted. The outcome variable was selection of a food coupon for either a healthy or an unhealthy food choice. Results illustrated developmental trends. Young children (3-5) were influenced by media clips of food, whether advertisements or fictional. Middle elementary children (6-8) were influenced mainly by their parents, whereas older children (9+) were influenced by neither of these. Results of this experiment help illustrate how advertisements influence children's eating choices and which age categories of children are most vulnerable.