Monique Potvin Kent Elise Pauzé Ashley Amson Julia Soares Guimarães Farah Hatoum Mariangela Bagnato Meghan Pritchard Carolina Soto Grace Gillis Soulene Sabir Laura Vergeer Cerys Besson Giselle Joseph
FOOD AND NUTRITION POLICY FOR OBESITY PREVENTION

Current Projects

 

Digital Marketing

Children and teens are frequently targeted by digital food and beverage marketing on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. We currently have research studies underway that examine:

  • The exposure frequency, healthfulness and power of marketing on digital devices

  • The exposure frequency, healthfulness and power of marketing by social media influencers

  • The impact of social media influences on children’s health-related attitudes and behaviours

  • Gendered differences in child and youth exposure to unhealthy food marketing in digital media

  • Methods that can be used to accurately track children’s exposure to digital marketing on smartphones and tablets

  • The exposure frequency and power of alcohol marketing on digital devices

  • The impact of alcohol marketing on children’s health-related attitudes and behaviours

  • Food company practices on their social media accounts

  • Extent of company tracking on child behaviours on food applications

 

Television Marketing

As Canadian youth watch between 10 to 22 hours of television per week, television continues to be a significant source of food and beverage marketing to children and adolescents. We are currently conducting several studies on food and beverage advertising on television. Building on our previous work, we continue to assess the impact of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative and Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act on the frequency, healthfulness and persuasive power of television food advertising to children and adolescents. In particular, we are examining:

  • Children’s exposure, healthfulness and the power of food advertising on television over time in Canada

  • Current levels of food advertising to children and adolescents across Canada, and differences in exposure across Canadian cities, between children and adolescents and between sexes

  • The frequency of adult-targeted vs child-targeted food and beverage advertising

 

Sport Sponsorship

Food and beverage company sponsorship is an influential, yet often overlooked, form of marketing. While research has shown that this form of marketing does influence children, little research to date has investigated food company sponsorship of organized sports among children in Canada. We are currently conducting a study funded by CIHR that aims to examine:

  • The extent and nature of food company sponsorship in sports popular with children in two policy environments in Canada (i.e. Quebec and Ontario)

  • The views of children, parents and sports club officials on food company sponsorship

  • The financial contribution of food and beverage companies to sport sponsorship in Canada

  • The impact of food sponsorship on the health-related behaviours of children

 

Food Marketing & its Impact

Food and beverage advertising impacts intake and the health-related behaviours of youth. We are currently conducting studies that investigate the impact of:

-The use of spokes characters (ex. Tony the Tiger) vs licensed characters (ex. Spiderman) in advertisements

-Branding on children’s food and beverage intake and behaviours

-Adult-targeted food and beverage television advertising on children’s health-related behaviours and intake

Our research lab is also involved in the International Food Policy Study which collects survey data about dietary patterns and health behaviours of children and adults from Australia, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Chile. These data are used to evaluate differences in food policies worldwide as well as assess the impact of food policies on dietary behaviour.