The advertising as a moderator of the relationship between the obesogenic environment and nutrition

Abstract

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between accessibility of healthy und unhealthy foods, the advertising exposure, understanding the mechanisms of advertisements, nutrition, and body weight of children and adolescents. Methods: The questionnaires were completed by 1,170 adolescents aged 12 -17 (M = 14.09, SD = 1.63). Findings: The availability of unhealthy foods at home was related to more frequent consumption of sweetened beverages and lower levels of vegetable intake. This relationship was moderated by the exposure to food advertising. The availability of healthy foods at home was associated with more regular breakfast consumption. Again, this association was moderated by the exposure to food advertisement. The understanding of the mechanisms of advertisements and the subjective assessment of the impact of advertisements had limited direct impact on diet. Discussion: The findings show the importance of exposure to advertisement as the factor moderating availability - food intake associations.