Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, 469 Wilson Rd, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2013 Sep 26;10:E165. doi: 10.5888/pcd10.130099.
Food marketing has emerged as an environmental factor that shapes children's dietary behaviors. "Advergames," or free online games designed to promote branded products, are an example of evolving food marketing tactics aimed at children. Our primary objective was to classify foods marketed to children (aged 2-11 y) in advergames as those meeting or not meeting nutrition recommendations of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), and the Institute of Medicine (IOM). We document the consistency of classification of those foods across agency guidelines and offer policy recommendations.
We used comScore Media Builder Metrix to identify 143 websites that marketed foods (n = 439) to children aged 2 to 11 years through advergames. Foods were classified on the basis of each of the 4 agency criteria. Food nutrient labels provided information on serving size, calories, micronutrients, and macronutrients.
The websites advertised 254 meals, 101 snacks, and 84 beverages. Proportions of meals and snacks meeting USDA and FDA recommendations were similarly low, with the exception of saturated fat in meals and sodium content in snacks. Inconsistency in recommendations was evidenced by only a small proportion of meals and fewer snacks meeting the recommendations of all the agencies per their guidelines. Beverage recommendations were also inconsistent across the 3 agencies that provide recommendations (USDA, IOM, and CSPI). Most (65%-95%) beverages advertised in advergames did not meet some of these recommendations.
Our findings indicate that a large number of foods with low nutritional value are being marketed to children via advergames. A standardized system of food marketing guidance is needed to better inform the public about healthfulness of foods advertised to children.
食品营销已成为影响儿童饮食行为的环境因素之一。“广告游戏”，即旨在推广品牌产品的免费在线游戏，是一种针对儿童的新兴食品营销策略。我们的主要目标是根据美国农业部（USDA）、食品和药物管理局（FDA）、公众利益科学中心（CSPI）和医学研究所（IOM）的营养建议，对广告游戏中针对儿童营销的食品进行分类，判断其是否符合这些建议。我们记录了这些食品在各机构指南中的分类一致性，并提供了政策建议。
我们使用 comScore Media Builder Metrix 识别了 143 个向 2 至 11 岁儿童通过广告游戏推销食品的网站（n=439）。根据 4 个机构的标准对食品进行分类。食品营养标签提供了有关份量、卡路里、微量营养素和宏量营养素的信息。
这些网站广告宣传了 254 种餐食、101 种零食和 84 种饮料。符合 USDA 和 FDA 建议的餐食和零食比例同样较低，除了餐食中的饱和脂肪和零食中的钠含量。根据其指南，只有一小部分餐食和更少的零食符合所有机构的建议，这表明建议不一致。3 个提供建议的机构（USDA、IOM 和 CSPI）之间的饮料建议也不一致。广告游戏中宣传的大多数（65%-95%）饮料不符合这些建议中的一些建议。
我们的研究结果表明，大量营养价值低的食品通过广告游戏向儿童进行营销。需要一个标准化的食品营销指导系统，以便更好地向公众告知针对儿童广告宣传的食品的健康状况。
