The new TV diet - evaluating the effect of the UK 2007 OfCom restrictions on television food advertising to children

近年来，在英国等国家，儿童超重或肥胖的比例大幅上升。有证据表明，电视上的食品广告会影响孩子们喜欢吃什么。因此，电视食品广告可能会导致超重、肥胖和其他健康儿童的相关疾病的发展。虽然电视上所宣传的食物种类繁多(例如早餐麦片、咸味零食和快餐)，但目前有关广告所宣传食物的确切营养成分(例如脂肪、蛋白质和碳水化合物的比例)的资料却很少。也不知道不同年龄、性别和社会背景的人是否倾向于观看不同数量和类型的电视食品广告。限制儿童时期高脂肪、高盐分和高糖分食品的广告？S的计划从2007年4月开始在英国分阶段实施。由于英国是第一个对面向儿童的电视食品广告引入此类规定的国家，它们对电视上宣传什么食品、向谁以及何时做广告的影响尚不清楚。我们将使用电视广播公司提供的信息，说明在2006年10月至2009年7月期间的四个星期内播放了哪些广告，以及哪些人观看了这些广告。我们将把这个链接到食品制造商S关于广告食品营养含量的信息，以回答四个研究问题：英国电视广告食品的营养含量是什么？在2007年的规定实施之前、期间和之后？这些时间点的电视饮食有什么变化吗？电视饮食是否根据观众的年龄、性别和社会背景而有所不同，如果是的话，这些变化是否在不同的时间点上有所不同？2007年的规定是否得到遵守？我们的研究结果将有助于评估、审查和修订针对儿童电视食品广告的新法规。研究团队包括流行病学家、公共卫生、营养和肥胖症方面的学术专家。该小组以前在这一领域进行了研究，并已经开发出将在这项工作中使用的方法。这项研究将与加拿大的类似工作同时进行，加拿大最近引入了针对儿童电视食品广告的新的自愿协议。

The proportion of children who are overweight or obese in countries like the UK has increased substantially in recent years. There is evidence that food advertisements on television influence what children prefer to eat. Television food advertising may, therefore, contribute to the development of overweight, obesity and related conditions in otherwise healthy children. Whilst the broad types of food advertised on television are known (e.g. breakfast cereals, salty snacks and fast food), there is currently little information available on the exact nutritional content of foods that are advertised (e.g. the proportion of fat, protein and carbohydrate). Nor is it known if individuals of different ages, gender and social background tend to watch different amounts and types of television food advertisements. Restrictions on the advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar during children?s programmes began to be phased in in the UK in April 2007. As the UK is the first country to introduce such regulations on television food advertising to children, their effects on what foods are advertised on television, to whom and when are not known. We will use information supplied by television broadcasters on what advertisements were broadcast, and who watched them, during four separate weeks between October 2006 and July 2009. We will link this to food manufacturer?s information on the nutritional content of foods advertised to answer four research questions: what was the nutritional content of foods advertised on UK television (the ?TV diet?) before, during and after implementation of the 2007 regulations?; were there any changes in the TV diet across these time points?; were there differences in the TV diet according to the age, sex and social background of viewers and, if so, did these vary across the time points?; were the 2007 regulations adhered to? Our results will help in the evaluation, review and revision of the new regulations on television food advertising to children.The research team includes academic specialists in epidemiologist, public health, nutrition and obesity. The team has conducted previous research in this area and already developed the methods that will be used in this work. The research will be conducted at the same time as similar work in Canada, where new voluntary agreements on television food advertising to children have recently been introduced.