Disparities in exposure to television advertising of sugar-sweetened and non-nutritive sweetened beverages among U.S. adults and teens, 2007-2013.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to estimate disparities in exposure to television advertising of sugar-sweetened and non-nutritive sweetened beverages among U.S. adults and teens. Data (2007-2013) came from the National Consumer Survey and included 115,510 adult respondents (age 18+) and 8635 teen respondents (age 12-17). The data was originally accessed in 2018 and analyzed in 2019-2020. The main outcomes were individual-level estimated exposure to advertisements for regular soda, diet soda, and energy/sport drinks. The main exposures were by race/ethnicity, household income, and educational attainment. Non-white adults (teens) were exposed to an estimated (per year) 101.5 (190.1) regular soda ads, 49.5 (61.2) diet soda ads, and 157.1 (279.6) energy/sport ads per year while white respondents were exposed to 97.5 (127.7) regular soda ads, 45.8 (44.2) diet soda ads, and 123.9 (192.0) energy/sport ads per year. Adult (teen) respondents who were non-white with low incomes and with low educational attainment were exposed to 4.7% (53.7%) more regular soda ads, 6.6% (43.8%) more diet ads, and 23.2% (56.2%) more energy/sport ads than respondents who were white with high incomes and high educational attainment. Demographic and socio-economic groups with a higher prevalence of obesity were exposed to significantly more advertisements for sugar-sweetened beverages. When evaluating potential policies to regulate marketing of sugar-sweetened and non-nutritive sweetened beverages, policymakers should consider the disparate exposure of at-risk populations to advertising of sugar-sweetened and non-nutritive sweetened beverages.