Children still exposed to high rates of unhealthy food advertising in Austria – Does self-regulation work?

Abstract Objective: To assess the exposure of Austrian children to TV HFSS food and beverage ads and identify changes in HFSS food advertising after the implementation of self-regulatory measures of marketing restriction. Design: All ads shown on five popular TV channels for Austrian children/teenagers were coded over four days (360 hours) using the WHO TV Monitoring Protocol, to identify food/beverage marketing, marketing strategies, target audience, and presence in peak viewing times. Nutrient analysis was performed using Nutrient Profile Models (NPMs) which classify foods as permitted or not permitted for marketing to children: WHO EURO NPM for international comparability and Austria’s NPM for local regulatory compliance. Results were compared with pre-regulatory Austrian TV monitoring data. Setting: Austria. Participants: None. Results: Of 9099 ads captured, 17.0% were for foods and beverages. Most promoted products not permitted for marketing to children according to WHO EURO NPM (81.8%) and Austria’s NPM (83.8%). On all channels, the advertising rate for food ads rose throughout the day, culminating during child/teen peak viewing times in the evening. A mix of marketing strategies and persuasive appeals was used; emotional themes (e.g. friendship, holidays, enjoyment) were more common in not permitted ads, compared to permitted ads. Not permitted ads featured elements appealing to children/teenagers significantly more often than permitted ads. Conclusions: Despite self-regulatory measures of marketing restriction, children and teenagers in Austria are still exposed to a high number of advertisements for HFSS foods using impactful emotional marketing strategies on TV. To protect children from this influence, further regulations are called for.