Unhealthy food advertising on Costa Rican and Guatemalan television: a comparative study

• Published in: Health promotion international Vol. 38; no. 3
• Main Authors: Morales-Juárez, Analí, Monterrubio, Eric, Cosenza-Quintana, Emma Lucia, Zamora, Irina, Jensen, Melissa L, Vandevijvere, Stefanie, Ramírez-Zea, Manuel, Kroker-Lobos, Maria Fernanda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.06.2023
• Subjects: Advertising; Beverages; Child; Costa Rica; Food; Food Industry; Humans; Marketing - methods; Nutritive Value; Television; Costa Rica; public health policy; children; television; food; obesity
• ISSN: 0957-4824; 1460-2245
• DOI: 10.1093/heapro/daad028

This study aimed to exhaustively explore the characteristics of food advertising on TV in Guatemala and Costa Rica. The International Network for Food and Obesity Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) methodology was applied. In 2016, we recorded 1440 h of video among 10 TV channels. We used the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Nutrient Profile (NP) Model to identify 'critical nutrients', whose excessive consumption is associated with NCDs. We created a nutritional quality score (0 if the product did not exceed any critical nutrient, 1 if the product exceeded one and 2 if it exceeded ≥2). We classified food ads as permitted (score = 0) and not-permitted (score 1 or 2) for marketing. Persuasive marketing techniques were classified as promotional characters (e.g. Batman), premium offers (e.g. toys), brand benefit claims (e.g. tasty) and health-related claims (e.g. nutritious). In Guatemala, foods that exceeded one critical nutrient were more likely to use persuasive marketing techniques, and in Costa Rica were those with an excess of ≥2 critical nutrients, compared with foods without any excess in critical nutrients [Guatemala: promotional characters (odds ratio, OR = 16.6, 95% confidence interval, CI: 5.8, 47.3), premium offers (OR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.4, 8.2) and health-related claims (OR = 3.5, 95% CI: 2.2, 5.7); Costa Rica: health-related claims (OR = 4.2, 95% CI: 2.0, 8.5)]. In conclusion, Guatemalan and Costa Rican children are exposed to an overabundance of not-permitted food ads on TV. This justifies implementing national policies to reduce exposure to not-permitted food for marketing, including on TV and other media.