Overview
Individual and environmental factors contribute to childhood obesity. Food marketing and advertising have been identified as major determinants of family food choices and eating habits that, in turn, influence children’s weight status. Previous research has focused on television marketing to children in the home, with limited attention to the broader food and nutrition environment in which families are embedded. This project addressed the gap in understanding by evaluating food marketing targeted to low-income, young children in the community retail food store environment. The research questions included:
- How is food marketed to young children in the retail food store environment?
- Does neighborhood socioeconomic position (SEP) affect these practices?
- How can family, store owner, and public health decision makers’ perceptions of food marketing influences on food purchasing behaviors in the community retail food store environment be used to inform interventions and public health policy?
The target population included 400 preschool-aged children and their families residing in one of three cities in Illinois who, because of race or income, were considered to have higher-than-average risk for being overweight or obese. An audit tool developed by the investigators recorded the amounts and types of food promotion directed to children in the retail food environment. They interviewed parents to determine whether marketing and promotion of certain food items influence children’s requests at food stores. In addition, the researchers explored public health officials' perceptions about parents’ feeding practices. Finally, they sought retail food store owners’ input on ways to increase advertising for more nutritious foods.
This project addressed a gap in understanding the broader food and nutrition environment and factors that may contribute to childhood obesity. The audit instrument developed for this project can be used to evaluate food store environments, and study findings can inform interventions and public health policy aimed at high-risk populations.
Research Team
- Diana Grigsby-Toussaint, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology and Community Health
- Barbara Fiese, Ph.D., Former Director, Family Resiliency Center, Human Development and Family Studies
Contact:
Diana Grigsby-Toussaint
217-333-9207; dgrigs1@illinois.edu
Funding
- Illinois Transdiciplinary Obesity Prevention Program (I-TOPP) Seed Grant, 2011
- Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR) Sentinel Program Seed Grant
- College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois
- Illinois Department of Human Services, Bureau of Child Care and Development
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois
- Family Resiliency Center, University of Illinois
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections Program