The Effects of Food Marketing on Children's Preferences: Testing the Moderating Roles of Age and Gender

• Author: Ariel Chernin
• Date: 01 January 2008
• Published date: 01 January 2008
• DOI: 10.1177/0002716207308952
• Subject Matter: Articles

102 ANNALS, AAPSS, 615, January 2008

A large body of research suggests that food marketing

affects children’s food preferences, short- and long-

term dietary consumption, and purchase requests

directed to parents. It is frequently argued that younger

children are more susceptible to marketers’ messages

than older children because they do not understand the

persuasive nature of advertising; however, little direct

evidence supports this claim. Employing an experi-

mental design, this study examined the influence of

food marketing on children’s preferences and tested

whether age (and gender) moderated the effects of ad

exposure. The sample consisted of 133 children

between the ages of five and eleven. Results indicated

that exposure to food commercials increased children’s

preferences for the advertised products. Age did not

moderate this effect; younger and older children were

equally persuaded by the commercials. Boys were

more influenced by the commercials than girls.

Implications for the study of food marketing to children

are discussed.

Keywords: food marketing; advertising; children;

persuasion

The authors of several large-scale literature

reviews have concluded that exposure to

food marketing affects children’s food prefer-

ences and eating behavior (Hastings et al. 2003;

Institute of Medicine 2006; Livingstone and

Helsper 2004; Office of Communication [Ofcom]

2004; World Health Organization 2003; see

Paliwoda and Crawford [2003] and Young

[2003] for a more critical interpretation of the

research literature). For example, the Institute

of Medicine (2006) argued that there is “strong

evidence” that commercials shape children’s

food preferences and short-term eating habits

and increase the number of purchase requests

children direct to parents. Similarly, Hastings

et al. (2003) stated that food marketing “can

The Effects of

Food

Marketing on

Children’s

Preferences:

Testing the

Moderating

Roles of Age

and Gender

By

ARIEL CHERNIN

NOTE: This publication was made possible by grant

number 5P50CA095856-04 from the National Cancer

Institute. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the

author and do not necessarily represent the official

views of the National Cancer Institute.

DOI: 10.1177/0002716207308952

THE EFFECTS OF FOOD MARKETING ON CHILDREN’S PREFERENCES 103

have and is having an effect on children, particularly in the areas of food prefer-

ences, purchase behavior, and consumption. It is also clear that these effects are

significant, independent of other influences and operate at both brand and cate-

gory level” (p. 182). It is also frequently suggested that children younger than

eight years old are more susceptible to advertising than older children because

they lack knowledge of persuasive intent; that is, they do not understand that

commercials try to convince people to buy things (American Academy of

Pediatrics 1995; Federal Trade Commission 1978; Institute of Medicine 2005;

Kunkel et al. 2004). While knowledge of persuasive intent tends to increase with

age (e.g., Blosser and Roberts 1985; Robertson and Rossiter 1974; Ward,

Wackman, and Wartella 1977), little direct evidence supports the claim that

younger children are inherently more persuasible than older children

(Christenson 1985; Livingstone and Helsper 2004, 2006). This study examines

the influence of food marketing on product preference and tests whether age and

gender moderate any observed effects.

Background

A large body of research suggests that food marketing affects children’s prefer-

ences, short- and long-term dietary consumption, and purchase requests. Both

preference and short-term dietary consumption studies frequently employ experi-

mental designs and examine the effect of exposure to advertising on product

choice. These two types of studies differ, however, with respect to their opera-

tionalization of the dependent variable. In preference studies, children are typically

asked to choose their favorite food(s) from a series of pictures, while in short-term

dietary consumption studies, children’s actual eating behavior is used as an indica-

tor of choice (e.g., children select and eat a snack). In long-term dietary consump-

tion research, children’s exposure to food marketing is often linked to parent

reports of children’s regular eating habits. Purchase request studies examine the

relationship between food marketing and children’s requests for advertised prod-

ucts directed to parents. Research in each of these areas is reviewed below, begin-

ning with the effects of food marketing on children’s product preferences.

In Borzekowski and Robinson’s (2001) widely cited study, children between

the ages of two and six years old watched a television show with a series of

food commercials or the same show without commercials. Children were then

Ariel Chernin is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center on Media and Child Health, Children's

Hospital Boston, Division of Adolescent Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in communication from

the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. This article presents

research conducted as part of her dissertation, which was supervised by Dr. Robert Hornik. Her

research interests include the effects of food marketing on children’s eating habits, the link

between media exposure and adolescents’ sexual behavior, and the development and evaluation of

media literacy curricula.