Parents Concerned About Unhealthy Food Marketing to Children

Health – UConn Today


Eighty-five percent of parents surveyed about their views on food marketing to children agreed that companies should reduce advertising of unhealthy food to their kids, according to a new report from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut.
Black and Hispanic parents in our survey were even more likely to believe that their children were impacted by unhealthy food marketing, and said they were more willing to do something about it. — Jennifer Harris
Support for policies to promote healthy eating habits for their children in the media, schools, and communities increased between 2012 and 2015 among parents surveyed for this study, with black and Hispanic parents significantly more likely to express support than white parents. The new report updates findings from a 2012 Rudd Center report with new data collected from 2012 to 2015. The report is available at www.UConnRuddCenter.org/ParentAttitudes.
“Most of the parents surveyed indicated they are willing to take action to improve food marketing to children,” says the study’s lead author Jennifer Harris, director of marketing initiatives for the UConn Rudd Center and associate professor of allied health science in the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources. “Black and Hispanic parents in our survey were even more likely to believe that their children were impacted by unhealthy food marketing, and said they were more willing to do something about it.”
Rudd Center researchers surveyed 3,608 parents with children between the ages of two and 17 to measure attitudes about food marketing and food industry self-regulation, and assess support for policies to promote healthy eating for their children.
The researchers used a cross-sectional sample of parents to compare responses by sociodemographic characteristics, including black, Hispanic, and lower-income parents, and changes in responses from 2012 to 2015. Although the responses are not representative of the entire U.S. population, the findings highlight opportunities to address parents’ concerns about ...

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