Does advertising for healthy food encourage you to make healthier choices? Communication scientist Frans Folkvord conducted research on healthy food marketing targeting children aged seven to thirteen through vloggers. His study shows that children are more likely to make healthier choices when popular vloggers promote healthy products. At the same time, it is crucial to limit the availability of unhealthy food.
Although there is ample evidence that unhealthy food marketing contributes to obesity and overweight, less is known about the impact of promoting healthy food. Is promoting healthy products also effective?
Folkvord says: ’Throughout evolution, we’ve been wired to choose unhealthy, high-calorie foods. If you give children the choice between candy or vegetables, most of them will choose candy, even after watching ads for vegetables. That’s how we’re programmed: eat lots of sugar, fat, and salt to increase your chances of survival.’
Vlogs Can Be Effective
Influencing healthier eating is a challenge, but not impossible, according to Folkvord. In his research, he explored whether vlogs could be effective in promoting vegetable and fruit consumption among children. ’We see that children tend to try products they see in vlogs," Folkvord explains. "Vloggers play a significant role in children’s lives and are often seen as role models. If they promote healthy products, it can positively influence children’s eating habits.’
The more engaging a video is, the more its message sticks. Vloggers can use techniques like "unboxing" or challenges to make fruits and vegetables more appealing. ’The beauty of vlogs is that they can introduce fruits and vegetables into children’s daily lives in a playful and relatable way. Through repeated exposure to healthy products in a form they find attractive, children can develop a habit of eating healthier.’
Limiting Availability
In addition to using vloggers, the research also highlights the importance of parents, teachers, and the overall environment in teaching children healthy eating habits. ’A healthier food culture for children starts at home, where parents play a big role in shaping eating habits. Many parents don’t realize that their children are often unconsciously influenced by advertisements on YouTube.’
Healthy food marketing can help, but ultimately, there is only one thing that really works, Folkvord argues. ’We need to design food environments where unhealthy eating is difficult. Around train stations, schools, and vulnerable neighborhoods, healthy food should be easier to access than unhealthy products. I call this a ’healthogenic food environment’."
The research, ’ Vlogging for a Healthier Diet ’ was conducted with the support of an NWO Veni grant.
