Promoting Resilience to Food Commercials Decreases Susceptibility to Unhealthy Food Decision-Making

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how food commercials influence food choices in children and their parents.

The proposed research will investigate food decision-making in youth. Childhood obesity is a risk factor for health issues, thus preventing adverse effects of childhood obesity by promoting healthy eating habits and providing effective interventions are important. Television food commercials advertising calorie-dense and high in salt and sugar foods are known to contribute unhealthy food choices and obesity. Thus the proposed study will examine how the advertising intervention focusing on increasing advertising knowledge and changing affective attitudes toward commercials impacts susceptability to commercials and food decisions in youth.

Children were exposed to narrative statements that were shown and read aloud in between commercials played.

Children were shown food commercials and in between those commercials they saw and heard statements such as "These foods won't make you happy" and "Those foods are so unhealthy."

Children were shown food commercials that were the same length as the other group but did not receive any information about whether the content was truthful.

Children rated on a 4-point Likert scale (1-Strong No, 2-No, 3-Yes, 4-Strong Yes) about whether they would choose to eat 60 different foods (30 unhealthy, 30 healthy) on a computer program. Higher values for unhealthy foods represented unhealthier food choices and higher values for healthy foods represented healthier food choices. The mean scores for unhealthy food choices were compared between pre- and post-intervention, and the mean scores for healthy food choices were compared between pre- and post-intervention.

Children rated on a 4 point Likert scale (1-Very Bad, 2-Bad, 3-Good, 4-Very Good) about how tasty 60 different foods (30 unhealthy, 30 healthy) were on a computer program. A regression coefficient (beta) of food taste was estimated at an individual level by fitting a linear regression model where taste and health ratings predicted food choices for each child. Higher estimated regression coefficients represented higher decision weights of food taste attributes in food choices. The mean estimated regression coefficients were compared between pre- and post-intervention.

Children rated on a 4 point Likert scale (1-Very Unhealthy, 2-Unhealthy, 3-Healthy, 4-Very Healthy) about how healthy 60 different foods (30 unhealthy, 30 healthy) were on a computer program. A regression coefficient (beta) of food healthiness was estimated at an individual level by fitting a linear regression model where taste and health ratings predicted food choices for each child. Higher estimated regression coefficients represented higher decision weights of food healthiness attributes in food choices. The mean estimated regression coefficients were compared between pre- and post-intervention.

Children completed the 36-item self-control scale. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (not at all like me) to 5 (very much like me). A total score (i.e., 36 response scores were summed) was computed for each child. The total score ranged between 36 (minimum) and 180 (maximum). The higher total score represented higher (better) perceived self-control. No subscales were used.

Inclusion Criteria: Children had to be between 8-12.9 years old (including 8 year olds, NOT including 13 year olds. Had to be able to speak English as their primary language. Self-reported normal hearing and vision. Exclusion Criteria: Did not speak English Data from children with history of neurological conditions, clinically significant psychopathology, or learning disabilities reported by parents (e.g., Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression) will be excluded.

Ha OR, Killian HJ, Davis AM, Lim SL, Bruce JM, Sotos JJ, Nelson SC, Bruce AS. Promoting Resilience to Food Commercials Decreases Susceptibility to Unhealthy Food Decision-Making. Front Psychol. 2020 Dec 2;11:599663. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.599663. eCollection 2020.