Adolescents’ Responses to Cereal Ads: An Assessment of Weight and Gender

ABSTRACT

Childhood obesity is a health epidemic. While we know that food advertising is impacting dietary perceptions of youth, we do not know all of the contributing factors. Health claims are used as heuristic cues, often misleading consumers to perceive foods as healthier than they otherwise would believe. This study investigates how the body weight of characters in advertising leads adolescents to perceive a cereal’s healthfulness and appeal. Findings suggest that higher BMI adolescents in particular believe a food to be healthier when promoted by a thin character. Conversely, females preferred heavier models, suggesting positive changes in regard to body image and stigmatization of those who are overweight. Potential explanations of these findings and avenues for further investigation are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Obesity
• children
• food advertising
• gender
• bias