Hygienic evaluation of television advertising and adherence to consumer rights

Abstract

Introduction. In the changing socio-economic conditions, the problem of advertising for children, using a child’s image, the impact of advertising on children’s food consumption and the consequences for their health, has not been sufficiently studied. The choice of unhealthy foods has public health implications, increasing the risks of developing noncommunicable diseases. The use of children’s images in advertising is of concern to specialists in the field of preserving the health of children, since the peculiarities of development and imperfection of legislation in the field of advertising make adolescents vulnerable to the effects of advertising promotion of food. The aim of the study was a qualitative and quantitative analysis of food and beverages advertising intended for children and adolescents on Russian television, and an assessment of the impact of television advertising with the participation of children on the consumer. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study of food and beverages advertising for children, broadcast on TNT’s Carousel channel (sample of 513 ads), was conducted. To assess the impact of advertising on the potential ability of the consumer to purchase the advertised product, a random sample of undergraduate students was selected. Results. In 36.7% of the analyzed advertisements appeared products with excessive sugar content, chips, fast food. Conclusion. On children’s television channels, more than half of the commercials promote food products that are not actually products of the daily diet of kid food, which creates distorted ideas about rational nutrition among children’s audiences. In 24.5% of commercials with the participation of children, there is false information about products containing sugar and rich in trans fats.