Kids’ exposure to junk food ads unchanged despite regulations

Children still see as much fast food advertising as they did before industry self-regulation.

Children’s exposure to television advertising for unhealthy fast food has remained unchanged since the introduction of industry self-regulation, according to new research from the University of Sydney.

The research, led by dietician Lana Hebden and published in the Medical Journal of Australia today, analysed all TV ads broadcast during a four-day sample period, in both May 2009 and April 2010.

The Australian Quick Service Restaurant Industry (QSRI) Initiative for Responsible Advertising and Marketing to Children is a self-regulatory initiative which began in August 2009, and has several signatories that include McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut.

The study, which compared a period before (May 2009) and after (April 2010) the introduction of the QSRI initiative, found that the mean frequency of fast food ads significantly increased over the study period, from 1.1 per hour in 2009 to 1.5 per hour in 2010.