QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS
The questionnaire aimed at investigating the effect of TV advertising on childhood obesity. Advertising can have either direct or indirect effects on childhood obesity. On top of that, there are also factors outside television advertising that influenced children’s eating habits and consequently their bodyweight.
Direct effects of Television advertisements on childhood obesity
TV as a source of information on available foods
It should be noted that the biggest source of information about High in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) foods is through television advertisements. Some of the children who took part in the research admitted that they learnt about a certain product from their televisions. The second most influential factor is from their friends. However, this can be traced back to reason number one because even peer pressure might have started after one of the children saw the advertisement on television. These direct effects were highlighted by the fact that most children seem to remember information about particular foods mainly from TV adverts. (Deveril, 2002)
Viewing times and exposure to advertising
The relationship between numbers of times children view television, has a direct effect on the amount of unhealthy foods they consume. For the questionnaire, it was found that most children watch television between 7pm to 9 pm. This could probably be as a result of school activities that take up most of their day. This implies that advertising that was intended for adults will be watched by children and will have an influential role in their lives.
However, for this to affect their choices, then it must be an activity that is done repetitively and continuously. In the case study, it was found that out of the twenty mothers chosen, half of them claimed that watching television was the third most time consuming activity after attending school and sleeping. Therefore television watching is the number one leisure activity. This implies that the images such children view have a high likelihood of imprinting themselves in the minds of these children. (Story et al, 2002)
It must also be noted that respondent mothers with children below nine years claimed that their children watched television during children’s airtime. This implies that those children are exposed to advertising meant for children. These results actually highlight the fact that advertisements for Core products are the main thing young children are watching during their leisure times. Advertising that is specifically meant for children can have a higher influence on them than just general advertising. This is because it appeals to their preferences through use of their role models. It puts to life some of their vivid imaginations and this will mean that children can identify with them. Consequently, there are higher chances of purchasing some of those items getting advertised through their parents. This is a summary of the respondent’s ages, their viewing times and type of advertisements that they liked
Child’s age
Number of times they watched TV in a week
Most frequent Viewing times
Types of advertisements preferred
4
Daily
3pm-7pm
Has many colours
6
Daily
4pm-8pm
Has cartoon images
9
Daily
5pm-8pm
Should have celebrities
10
Daily
5pm-8pm
Should have music, movie stars or pop singers
12
Daily
6pm-8pm
Must be interesting and relevant
14
Daily
7pm-9pm
Message is clearly put across
As it can be seen form the table below, children of all age groups watch TV everyday. The time variable is important because one can gauge whether they watch advertising meant for children or whether they watch those ones meant for adults. The survey indicates that younger children watch television mostly in the afternoon hours. This is usually the time allocated for children and most advertising brought at this time is meant to persuade children who lie within lower age groups. This is what is called children’s airtime. Most of the advertisements aired in the afternoon are full of cartoon images, lively music and other details that appeal to the young mind. It could probably be the reason why such children enjoy watching those types of advertisements as indicated from their preferences. (Mintel, 2001)
On the other hand, children past the ages of nine seem to prefer watching television during adult times. That is after seven in the evening. This implies that majority of them, were exposed to advertisements meant for adult. These sorts of advertisements are usually deeper. They tend to engage their audience a little more than children’s advertisement and are also more persuasive in nature. At this point of their development, teenagers have the abilities to form their own opinions about certain products. This implies that when an advertisement is well put across, they will get interested in the product are chances are that they will purchase it. Here, there is an element of intellect involved and this is something that is adhered to by marketers during their campaigns.
The effects as highlighted through pester power
Among the mothers questioned, majority of them admitted to having bought certain products after their children nagged them about it. These were the results summarised;
-Percentage of mothers who bought HFSS foods as a result of persistent nagging from their children-25%
-Percentage of mothers who bought HFSS foods after their children saw appealing images on the cover-25%
-Percentage of mothers who bought HFSS foods because of free offers that came with it-20%
-Percentage of mothers who bought HFSS foods for their own reasons-30%
As it can be seen from the statistics above, mothers bought unhealthy foods because of the appealing images and their children’s nagging. Although both these reasons carry the same weight, one must not undermine the level of influence that pester power has on most of its consumer. Children who happen to have watched certain advertisements about a given product will keep it in their minds and influence their parents to purchase those items. This is actually the main objective behind most of these child advertisements. They are meat to make children anxious about acquiring certain products since there are designed with children as the major market segment. (Livingstone, 2004)
Creation of brands and their effects
During the survey, most mothers who were asked about their opinions on brands depicted how television advertising had swayed their opinion concerning foods. Mothers who were asked about certain brands claimed that these brands were healthy. They added that this was because they thought some of the nutritional additions made within those foods made them healthy. For example some breakfast cereals are usually advertised as nutritious brands containing ‘vitamin a’ and so on. However, these brands do not highlight some of their weak points. For example, one might find that those same breakfast cereals are rich in calorific value and have higher chances of causing obesity among children of that age. (Deveril, 2002)
Some mothers also felt that branded products are superior to unbranded ones. From the twenty mothers questioned, fifty percent felt that branded products were superior to others; thirty percent felt that this was not true while twenty percent were not sure. There is a direct link between branding and advertising, especially television advertising. This is because television advertising is the main avenue used by most food manufacturers to inform viewers about an existing brand or a new one. Since most mothers claimed that they preferred branded products, then this form of advertising can be blamed for it. The problem with such opinions is that these mothers often end up purchasing HFSS foods because those ones are mostly the ones that are branded and heavily marketed using television.
Children were also found to identify with certain brands. When these children were asked about where they got information about those brands, some of them, highlighted television as a source, others claimed their friends told them about it, others attributed it to their parents. Most of the responses highlighted the former reason as the most influential; this can be deduced from the total percentages. Most of these children were very enthusiastic about certain brands.
Mothers were also asked whether there were certain brands that they purchased frequently or whether they simply bought goods that were economical. Some claimed that thy have been purchasing certain brands for years. Most of the names of those brands were foods that can be deemed unhealthy. The mothers who have been purchasing these items obviously indicate that they have a level of brand loyalty and that they are highly familiar with that product. This implies that television advertising has created loyal purchases in this regard.
When children were asked why they purchased certain foods that were high in calorific content, some of them claimed that they thought those bands were ‘cool’. It mostly applied to teenagers and they associated some carbonated drinks to cool status. This implies that certain marketers who had set out to advertise with these intentions in mind, have achieved their goal because their brand is now seen as status symbol. (Story et al, 2002)
Indirect effects of TV advertising on childhood obesity
Advertisements targeting mothers
The questionnaire revealed that twelve out of the twenty mothers were informed about convenience foods from television advertisements. This was especially in relation to breakfast meals which happen to be heavy in calorific content. The Companies making these products realise that there are plenty of mothers out there who have minimal time in the morning. Their promotional activities focus on this market segment. The marketing campaigns first identified a need i.e. mothers have little if any time to make complete meals. Therefore, they came up with a way to meet this demand through their products. Consequently, mothers were influenced to purchase convenience foods for breakfast or other meals in order to minimise time wastage. These convenience foods are notorious for their high fat, sugar and salt content (HFSS). Consequently, mothers purchasing these types of products heighten the chances of making their children obese.
Effect of price
This is a major factor because when mothers were asked to highlight some of the reasons why they purchased certain items other than influence from their children. This was one of the major factors. Most parents went for foods that had affordable prices or could allow them to make some savings. It should be noted that most of the items that receive a lot of attention from marketers through pricing strategies are food items. These happen to be high in fat, sugar and slat foodstuffs. In marketing, one of the most influential aspects is Price. (Story et al, 2002)
Prices can either be penetrative strategies, or promotional strategies. When manufacturers within the food industry create new items, they normally lower their prices so as to attract new clients. This is what is called penetrative pricing. However, when such a product has gained suitable leverage within the market, then its price may be elevated again so as to allow the manufacturer time to make their profits. But at this time, most clients may now be looking for the next new brand that offers them an opportunity to save up through lower prices. This is the point where most mothers switch to different brands.
Other factors other than TV advertisements that caused childhood obesity
Lifestyle trends
The questionnaire asked mothers whether or not they cooked for their children. Their reasons for choosing other options other than cooking were given. The reason for this question was to expose the types of lifestyle trends that mothers led and how this affected obesity. It was found that twelve out of the twenty mothers interviewed seemed to have no time to cook nutritious and proper meals. (Livingstone, 2004)
They attributed their claims to longer working hours, others had the money to afford ready made foods, others felt that real cooking would entail too many intricacies which they had little time for. Some mothers had too many responsibilities and could not take time out to cook for their children. Some of the reasons given by these parents were found to have severe effects on their. Other parents claimed that their children were mature and responsible enough to make snacks for themselves and did not need to go around cooking for them. This is topped up by that fact that such meals are readily available in the market today. Those meals can be prepared in the absence of parents. Lastly, some mothers have adopted don’t-care-lifestyles. They care less about what their children eat consequently leaving choice up to them; this affects their behaviour. Here are some of the reasons given by mothers for not cooking for their children
As it can be seen from the graph above, the most influential aspect about mother’s lifestyle was the fact that they worked for very long hours and had little time to make proper, nutritious meals for their children. Consequently, the children ended up eating convenience foods and may eventually become obese. (Livingstone, 2004)
Other promotional ideas
From the results listed on page four, it was seen that most high in fat, sugar and salt products purchased were for mother’s personal reasons. However, the second most important reason highlighted here was the fact that they had seen an in store promotion. This took up twenty five percent of the responses. It has a very heavy implication of the child’s health. This is because such parents are more likely to go for free offers not putting in mind that most of them promoted further consumption of unhealthy foods. They end up ‘stuffing’ their children up with more HFSS foods even when their original intention was to make a wise purchase. All in all, one can say that television advertisements are not the only source of information for mothers with children who may eventually become obese. Discounts offered in stores also have a crucial role to play since they carried the same percentage as television advertising which took up about 25% of the responses too.
If equal importance is the influences children get from posters or other decorations found on food item. This is especially relevant to children who lie within the ages of four to nine years. Such children are very visual. They get attracted to images that capture their imagination, are colourful and entertaining. Some mothers added that after children saw those images from posters or covers of food items, they would not be left alone by their children until they bought them those items. (Deveril, 2002)
Other inactive forms of leisure
It should be noted that childhood obesity may not jut be caused by television advertisements that influence eating habits. There are also instances when certain children fail to take part in active pass-time activities. During the survey, very few parents admitted that their children engage in sporting activities. Most of these parents claimed that most of their children spent their time playing computer games and watching television. Out of the twenty mothers asked, only three of them claimed that their children spend time playing sports while the remaining seventeen gave passive activities as their sources of leisure. This could be the reason why cases of obesity in the UK are on the rise; because mot children adopt sedentary lives. Parents rarely urge them to be more active and they end up gaining more weight than before.
Attitudes and beliefs held by parents
The importance of these views cannot be overemphasised. This is because some parents operate under the assumption that they are offering the best diets for their children. There were numerous misconceptions in existence as depicted from the questionnaire. Therefore parents’ attitudes have a large role to play. Here are some of the alarming responses received form parents
60% of parents questioned do not believe that banning advertisements will work
40% of mothers feel that if advertisements were made less attractive, then their children would be less interested in them
50% of the parents do not seem to care about their children’s binging habits. They do not see a direct link to health problems.
40% of mothers questioned did not see the importance of giving their children fruits and vegetables regularly
20% of the parents interviewed felt that children should be give responsibility over their own diets.
70% of the mothers questioned had a good idea about what makes up healthy diets but only 20% of these were willing to implement those ideas in their homes
In light of these facts, one must not underestimate the influence that such parents have on their children’s dietary needs and supplements. The fact that sixty percent of the mothers questioned do not believe that banning advertisement will solve the obesity problem indicates that they have other reasons. Such mothers assume that children become obese as a result of other factors that fall outside their influence and not because of television watching. It is therefore less likely for such parents to regulate their children’s leisure time. In line with this, such mothers do not see the link between less attractive advertisements and their children’s health status. (Story et al, 2002)
Half of the respondents indicated that they did not see a link between their children’s binging habits and their future health. This is quite alarming because it seems most parents lack the knowledge about health related problems that can be brought about by poor eating habits. They did not know that the more their children engage in unhealthy eating practices such in-between-meals eating, then the higher their chances of becoming obese. Consequently, such children are most likely going to develop complications such as heart disease, diabetes and many other detrimental diseases.
Twenty percent of the respondent parents did not feel the need to take more control of their children’s diet. They felt that they could give this responsibility to their children. This indicates that most parents have a don’t-care-attitude about their child’s health. Children do not have the self control and responsibility to mane decisions about their own diets. Therefore parents who fail to do so increase chances of such children becoming obese since children may lack the knowledge and discipline to eat healthy meals on their own. (Deveril, 2002)
A large percentage of the mothers seem to be highly informed about the main constituents that make up healthy diets. However, theses same parents were not willing to implement these in their homes. This goes to show that there is a negative attitude towards healthy meals. Mothers seem to think that their children would not eat healthy meals. Consequently such mothers are not providing those meals for their children. They are contributing to their deteriorating and unhealthy habits without even realising it. One can also deduce that such parents are less likely to find out which products are the healthiest by checking labels as highlighted by most manufacturers. (Livingstone, 2004)
Peer influence
Children who were asked about their opinion concerning foods were aware about the constituents of healthy meals. However, these same children deliberately chose not eat those particular food items. Most of them (6/10) claimed that the food was so tasty that they could not resist it. On the other hand some were influenced by their friends (2/10). Although this was a small majority, it does not undermine the effect that peer influence has on children’s eating habits. The surprising finding that came out of this part of the questionnaire was the fact that only one out of the children questioned claimed that they were influenced by a television advert to purchase certain items. Despite that small percentage, one cannot underestimate the effects that those advertisements have on the children. Besides, sometimes children themselves may not know the source of their impulses. They may attribute it to their friends but when one traces the real origins of these friend’s preferences they will realise that it was from television advertisements.
When children were asked about why they try to educe consumption of High in fat, sugar and salt foods, most of them cited the following;
- 5/10 thought that it would make them fat
- 2/10 thought that it would give them zits
- 1/10 thought that those foods are unhealthy
- 0/10 thought that those foods would cause them, problems in later life
- 2/10 were worried about not fitting into their clothes
Thos implies that the motivating factor behind leaving most junk foods was consciousness about weight. Most of the children, who are avoiding junk foods or convenience foods, are doing so for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps parents are to blame for not highlighting the dangers that come with unhealthy eating. Schools themselves are also to blame since they encourage this culture of convenience foods through introduction of vending machines.
Conclusion
There is definitely a link between television advertisements and the choices children make about their eating habits. First of all, viewing times adopted by these children give a link between meals and the way those children go about their daily routines. This is because the total number of times advertisements are displayed on television is bound to affect children’s opinions. This mainly applies to those ones who fall below eight years of age. Brand loyalty is also a depiction of the influence of television advertising as the primary source of information about these brands. Television has a direct effect on children’s obesity. Most parents admitted to purchasing high fat foods because of persistent nagging from their children. Advertisements meant for children are the main cause of pester power. (Livingstone, 2004)
However there are some indirect effects of television advertising such as lifestyle trends. Most mothers are affected by the information they see on television advertisements about microwavable or frozen foods. However, there are also other factors that bring about childhood obesity. These include peer influence, inactive lifestyles, lack of responsibility by parents, lack of awareness concerning what constitutes healthy diets and other marketing strategies
APPENDIX I – QUESTIONNAIRE
QUESTIONNAIRE
To be given to only mothers of children between the age group of 4 – 15 years
Good morning/ afternoon/evening. I am a student and am doing a dissertation for my project. For the project, I need to understand certain habits of people with regards to television watching and entertainment in general. Could you please take out 5 minutes of your time and help me by filling this small form/questionnaire?
Please do not leave any question blank.
Please tick / circle the appropriate box adjacent to your option.
Name: _______________________
Age: __________years
Q1 Please tick the following on the basis of what applies to you.
Married
1
Have children
1
Not married
2
Do not have children
2
IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN THEN ANSWER Q2 ELSE ‘THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. MY INQUIRY IS AMONG MOTHERS
Q2 Could you please write down the names of your children, their age and gender in the table given below
NAME
Age (completed years)
Gender