Digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children and adolescents: A narrative review

With growing access to electronic devices and time spent online, the food and beverage industry increasingly uses digital media to market unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages (high in unhealthy fats, sugars, and/or salt and often highly processed) to children and adolescents. We conducted a n...

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Autores principales: Fretes, Gabriela, Veliz, Paula, Narvaez, Ana Maria, Williams, D’Arcy, Sibille, Romain, Arts, Maaike, Leroy, Jef L.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173283
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author Fretes, Gabriela
Veliz, Paula
Narvaez, Ana Maria
Williams, D’Arcy
Sibille, Romain
Arts, Maaike
Leroy, Jef L.
author_browse Arts, Maaike
Fretes, Gabriela
Leroy, Jef L.
Narvaez, Ana Maria
Sibille, Romain
Veliz, Paula
Williams, D’Arcy
author_facet Fretes, Gabriela
Veliz, Paula
Narvaez, Ana Maria
Williams, D’Arcy
Sibille, Romain
Arts, Maaike
Leroy, Jef L.
author_sort Fretes, Gabriela
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description With growing access to electronic devices and time spent online, the food and beverage industry increasingly uses digital media to market unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages (high in unhealthy fats, sugars, and/or salt and often highly processed) to children and adolescents. We conducted a narrative review of the global evidence on digital marketing of these foods and drinks and studied policies and regulations in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. Evidence was limited to a few high, upper-middle and lower-middle income countries where children and adolescents were found to be extensively exposed to the digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages and this exposure increased with age. A wide range of purposefully designed marketing techniques were used. Exposure to the digital marketing of unhealthy foods appears to be followed by increased consumption, but the quality of the evidence was limited. Accurate assessment of exposure was a shortcoming in most studies. Stronger evidence will require studies with more rigorous designs that minimize confounding and objectively quantify individual exposure. Mandatory comprehensive policies are needed that limit exposure of children and adolescents to the marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages irrespective of the medium or platform they use. The experience of LAC countries may provide insights for the development of effective policies in other countries. Novel technologies that can be used by governments to monitor digital marketing regulations are needed.
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spelling CGSpace1732832025-10-26T12:56:30Z Digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children and adolescents: A narrative review Fretes, Gabriela Veliz, Paula Narvaez, Ana Maria Williams, D’Arcy Sibille, Romain Arts, Maaike Leroy, Jef L. digital technology marketing health children adolescents food policies With growing access to electronic devices and time spent online, the food and beverage industry increasingly uses digital media to market unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages (high in unhealthy fats, sugars, and/or salt and often highly processed) to children and adolescents. We conducted a narrative review of the global evidence on digital marketing of these foods and drinks and studied policies and regulations in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. Evidence was limited to a few high, upper-middle and lower-middle income countries where children and adolescents were found to be extensively exposed to the digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages and this exposure increased with age. A wide range of purposefully designed marketing techniques were used. Exposure to the digital marketing of unhealthy foods appears to be followed by increased consumption, but the quality of the evidence was limited. Accurate assessment of exposure was a shortcoming in most studies. Stronger evidence will require studies with more rigorous designs that minimize confounding and objectively quantify individual exposure. Mandatory comprehensive policies are needed that limit exposure of children and adolescents to the marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages irrespective of the medium or platform they use. The experience of LAC countries may provide insights for the development of effective policies in other countries. Novel technologies that can be used by governments to monitor digital marketing regulations are needed. 2025-02 2025-02-20T14:54:22Z 2025-02-20T14:54:22Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173283 en https://www.ifpri.org/blog/what-are-kids-watching-online-how-digital-food-marketing-shapes-childrens-and-adolescents-diets/ Open Access Elsevier Fretes, Gabriela; Veliz, Paula; Narvaez, Ana Maria; Williams, D’Arcy; Sibille, Romain; Arts, Maaike; and Leroy, Jef L. 2025. Digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children and adolescents: A narrative review. Current Developments in Nutrition 9(2): 104545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.104545
spellingShingle digital technology
marketing
health
children
adolescents
food policies
Fretes, Gabriela
Veliz, Paula
Narvaez, Ana Maria
Williams, D’Arcy
Sibille, Romain
Arts, Maaike
Leroy, Jef L.
Digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children and adolescents: A narrative review
title Digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children and adolescents: A narrative review
title_full Digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children and adolescents: A narrative review
title_fullStr Digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children and adolescents: A narrative review
title_full_unstemmed Digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children and adolescents: A narrative review
title_short Digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children and adolescents: A narrative review
title_sort digital marketing of unhealthy foods and non alcoholic beverages to children and adolescents a narrative review
topic digital technology
marketing
health
children
adolescents
food policies
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173283
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