Introduction:

given the link between marketing of unhealthy foods and childhood obesity, the aim of our study was to assess the use of persuasive and nutritional marketing strategies; the level of compliance in the use of these strategies the new PAOS code for self-regulation of food advertising targeting children aged less than 12 years; and the nutrient profile of the foods and beverages advertised on Boing TV.

Material and methods:

descriptive study of a sample of food and drink advertisements broadcast in 2016 by Boing, the leading children's commercial TV channel in Spain. We obtained information on the nutritional composition of products from their labelling, based on which we classified them as healthy or unhealthy applying the WHO nutrient profile model. We analysed the use of persuasive and nutritional marketing strategies and their compliance with the standards set by the new PAOS code.

Results:

the 13.5 hours of broadcasting analysed included 111 advertisements, at a rate of 8.2 commercials per hour. All of the products were advertised with some of the marketing strategies included in the analysis, and all were classified as unhealthy based on the WHO nutrient profile model. Also, 73.9% of the advertisements were contravened 1 or more PAOS code standards.

Conclusions:

the advertised foods and beverages were unhealthy, and their marketing involved the generalised use of nutritional and persuasive strategies. Three out of four commercials violated the PAOS code currently active in Spain, which proved ineffective and should therefore be replaced by regulation that can effectively protect children from the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages.

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