Food Marketing to Children and Adolescents

Professional Resource Brief

Websites

• Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI): Decrease Marketing of Low-Nutrition Foods to Children. Articles, reports, fact sheets, and policy guidelines about improving child and adolescent nutrition by decreasing the marketing of low-nutrition foods to children.
  
  
• Center on Media and Child Health (CMCH). Research literature database examining the relationship between media use and child and adolescent health and health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Type nutrition in the Text field to identify articles on the topic. Narrow your search by adding a publication date or age group. Also offers Topic-Based and Age-based Tip Sheets, for parents and professionals about using media in safe and healthy ways. For professionals, an Anticipatory Guidance on Media and Physical Health about how media plays a role in overall physical health.
  
  
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): Media-Smart Youth Upgraded: Eat, Think, and Be Active! A an interactive afterschool education program that helps young people (ages 11 to 13) understand the complex media world around them and how it can influence their health, especially in regard to nutrition and physical activity. The Media-Smart Youth program is retired, but the Facilitators Packet and the Train-the-Trainer Packet remain available.
  
  
• Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity: Food Marketing to Youth. Background information and supporting materials on topics that include methods of food marketing to children and adolescents, impacts of food marketing, marketing policies and legal issues, research initiatives, current regulation of advertising, and best and worst food marketing practices. See Resource & Tools to find Rudd Center resources, or search the Publications Database on specific topics (i.e., Children's Health, Children's Nutrition, Food and Beverage Marketing`). Databases include
  
  Legislation Database. Information about food policy and obesity legislation filed by Congress, states, and select cities and counties. Topics include marketing to children.
  
  
Pledges on Food Marketing to Children Worldwide. Database with information about voluntary pledges made by many major global food and beverage companies to change marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children.


• Cheyne A, Dorfman L, Gonzalez P, Mejia P. 2011. Food and Beverage Marketing to Children and Adolescents: An Environment at Odds with Good Health. Minneapolis, MN: Healthy Eating Research. [Research brief].
  
  
• McGinnis JM, Gootman JA, Kraak VI, eds. 2006. Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity? Washington, DC: National Academies Press. [Book].
  

Related MCH Digital Library Resources

• Nutrition in Children and Adolescents professional resource guide, family resource brief, school resource brief
• Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents professional resource guide, family resource brief, school resource brief
  

Food Marketing to Children and Adolescents: Resource Brief. (September 2012. Updated March 2020).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Digital Library.
Reviewers: Arissa K. Anderson, M.P.H. and R.D. candidate, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Stephanie Loup, M.P.H. and R.D. candidate, University of Minnesota; Shree Mohanty, M.A., M.S., R.D., L.D., Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Region V; Olivia Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Digital Library; Bridget L. Wardley, M.S., R.D., C.S.P., New York University Steinhardt.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Digital Library.