Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39920856›Full record

ArticleBMC nutrition2025

Examining differences in exposure to digital marketing of unhealthy foods reported by Canadian children and adolescents in two policy environments.

Laura Vergeer, Carolina Soto, Mariangela Bagnato, Elise Pauzé, Ashley Amson, Tim Ramsay, Dana Lee Olstad, Vivian Welch, Monique Potvin Kent

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. The association between exposure to food marketing and dietary intake among youth in six countries.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Laura VergeerSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Carolina SotoSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Mariangela BagnatoSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Elise PauzéInterdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Ashley AmsonInterdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Tim RamsayOttawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Dana Lee OlstadDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Vivian WelchSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Monique Potvin KentSchool of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. monique.potvinkent@uottawa.ca.

Funding

CIHR PJT 178193
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere has been relatively little research on youth's exposure to food marketing on digital media, which is important as new digital platforms emerge and youth spend more time online. Evidence evaluating different policy approaches to restricting digital food marketing to children is also limited. This study examined differences in self-reported exposure to digital food marketing between children and adolescents in different policy environments: Ontario (where food marketing is self-regulated) and Quebec (where advertising is government regulated).

methodsAn observational cross-sectional online survey was conducted in April 2023 among children (aged 10-12 years) and adolescents (13-17 years) from Ontario and Quebec, recruited by Leger Marketing. Participants self-reported their frequency of exposure to food marketing via various digital platforms and marketing techniques. Logistic regression and proportional odds models examined differences in exposure by province and age group, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and digital device usage.

resultsThe odds of reporting more frequent exposure to marketing of sugary drinks (OR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.33, 0.69), sugary cereals (OR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.86), salty/savoury snacks (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.47, 0.96), fast food (OR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.92), and desserts/sweet treats (OR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.37, 0.78) were lower among Quebec children than Ontario children. Quebec children were less likely than Ontario children (OR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.38, 0.84), but more likely than Quebec adolescents (OR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.04, 2.42), to report exposure to unhealthy food marketing on one or more gaming/TV/music streaming platform/website(s). Compared with Ontario children, Quebec children were less likely to report exposure to marketing featuring characters or child/teenage actors (OR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.76), child-appealing subjects, themes and language (OR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.89), and visual design, audio and special effects (OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.99), and to report exposure to a greater number of marketing techniques (OR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.84).

conclusionsExposure to unhealthy food marketing on digital media is high for youth from Ontario and Quebec, particularly for Ontario children. These findings reinforce the need for federal regulations to protect Canadian youth from unhealthy food marketing on digital media.

Indexed as

AdolescentsChildrenDigital marketingFood marketingUnhealthy food

Identifiers

PMID39920856
PMCPMC11806838

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.