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Restricting children's exposures to marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages is a global obesity prevention priority. Monitoring marketing exposures supports informed policymaking. This study presents a global overview of children's television advertising exposure to healthy and unhealthy products. Twenty-two countries contributed data, captured between 2008 and 2017. Advertisements were coded for the nature of foods and beverages, using the 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) Europe Nutrient Profile Model (should be permitted/not-permitted to be advertised). Peak viewing times were defined as the top five hour timeslots for children. On average, there were four times more advertisements for foods/beverages that should not be permitted than for permitted foods/beverages. The frequency of food/beverages advertisements that should not be permitted per hour was higher during peak viewing times compared with other times (P < 0.001). During peak viewing times, food and beverage advertisements that should not be permitted were higher in countries with industry self-regulatory programmes for responsible advertising compared with countries with no policies. Globally, children are exposed to a large volume of television advertisements for unhealthy foods and beverages, despite the implementation of food industry programmes. Governments should enact regulation to protect children from television advertising of unhealthy products that undermine their health. ; International Development Research Center, Grant/Award Numbers: 107459‐001, 107731, 107213001 and 107731‐002; Javna Agencija za Raziskovalno Dejavnost RS; Spanish Health Research Fund of the Institute of Health Carlos III, Grant/Award Number: ENPY 1015/13; Wellcome Trust; National Institute for Health Research; Medical Research Council; Economic and Social Research Council; Cancer Research UK; British Heart Foundation; Spanish Consumers Organization (OCU); Slovenian Research Agency and Ministry of Health of Republic of Slovenia, Grant/Award Number: P3‐0395; Ministry of Higher Education, Grant/Award Number: FRGS/1/2013/ SS03/UKM/02/5; Estrategia de sostenibilidad de grupos de investigación. ; Sí

Restricting children's exposures to marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages is a global obesity prevention priority. Monitoring marketing exposures supports informed policymaking. This study presents a global overview of children's television advertising exposure to healthy and unhealthy products. Twenty‐two countries contributed data, captured between 2008 and 2017. Advertisements were coded for the nature of foods and beverages, using the 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) Europe Nutrient Profile Model (should be permitted/not‐permitted to be advertised). Peak viewing times were defined as the top five hour timeslots for children. On average, there were four times more advertisements for foods/beverages that should not be permitted than for permitted foods/beverages. The frequency of food/beverages advertisements that should not be permitted per hour was higher during peak viewing times compared with other times (P < 0.001). During peak viewing times, food and beverage advertisements that should not be permitted were higher in countries with industry self‐regulatory programmes for responsible advertising compared with countries with no policies. Globally, children are exposed to a large volume of television advertisements for unhealthy foods and beverages, despite the implementation of food industry programmes. Governments should enact regulation to protect children from television advertising of unhealthy products that undermine their health.

ABSTRACT: Restricting children's exposures to marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages is a global obesity prevention priority. Monitoring marketing exposures supports informed policymaking. This study presents a global overview of children's television advertising exposure to healthy and unhealthy products. Twenty‐two countries contributed data, captured between 2008 and 2017. Advertisements were coded for the nature of foods and beverages, using the 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) Europe Nutrient Profile Model (should be permitted/not‐permitted to be advertised). Peak viewing times were defined as the top five hour timeslots for children. On average,there were four times more advertisements for foods/beverages that should not be permitted than for permitted foods/beverages. The frequency of food/beverages advertisements that should not be permitted per hour was higher during peak viewing times compared with other times (P < 0.001). During peak viewing times, food and beverage advertisements that should not be permitted were higher in countries with industry self‐regulatory programmes for responsible advertising compared with countries with no policies. Globally, children are exposed to a large volume of television advertisements for unhealthy foods and beverages, despite the implementation of food industry programmes. Governments should enact regulation to protect children from television advertising of unhealthy products that undermine their health.

Restricting children's exposures to marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages is a global obesity prevention priority. Monitoring marketing exposures supports informed policymaking. This study presents a global overview of children's television advertising exposure to healthy and unhealthy products. Twenty-two countries contributed data, captured between 2008 and 2017. Advertisements were coded for the nature of foods and beverages, using the 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) Europe Nutrient Profile Model (should be permitted/not-permitted to be advertised). Peak viewing times were defined as the top five hour timeslots for children. On average, there were four times more advertisements for foods/beverages that should not be permitted than for permitted foods/beverages. The frequency of food/beverages advertisements that should not be permitted per hour was higher during peak viewing times compared with other times (P < 0.001). During peak viewing times, food and beverage advertisements that should not be permitted were higher in countries with industry self-regulatory programmes for responsible advertising compared with countries with no policies. Globally, children are exposed to a large volume of television advertisements for unhealthy foods and beverages, despite the implementation of food industry programmes. Governments should enact regulation to protect children from television advertising of unhealthy products that undermine their health. ; In Argentina, advertising monitoring was supported by the International Development Research Center (IDRC; grant number 107459‐001). The Chilean team would like to thank the National TV Council (CNTV) that provided the TV records, as well as María Fernanda Sánchez, Camila Román, and Camila Fierro for assisting with the coding and database preparation; data coding was supported by grants from the International Development Research Center (no. 107731‐002) and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The project in Colombia was cofunded by Estrategia de sostenibilidad de grupos de investigación–University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. The Colombian team wish to thank Mariana Arias Toro y Melisa Alejandra Muñoz Ruiz, School of Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Antioquia, Medellín. In Costa Rica and Guatemala, data collection and analysis was funded by IDRC grant no. 107213001. In Malaysia, this project was funded under the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS/1/2013/SS03/UKM/02/5) of the Ministry of Higher Education. In Mexico, the financial support of this study was founded by the International Development Research Center (project number: 107731) and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The project in Slovenia was funded by the Slovenian Research Agency and Ministry of Health of Republic of Slovenia (research programme P3‐0395: Nutrition and Public Health; research project L3‐9290: sugars in human nutrition); we acknowledge the support of Dea Zavadlav (Nutrition Institute, Slovenia) in the data collection. The South African team wish to thank Prof Norman Temple, Athabasca University, Canada, and Prof Nelia Steyn, University of Cape Town, who initiated the food advertising project in South Africa. In Spain, data collection was supported by the Spanish Health Research Fund of the Institute of Health Carlos III (project ENPY 1015/13) and the Spanish Consumers Organization (OCU). The Spanish team wish to thank María José Bosqued Estefanía for her support in data management. Jean Adams and Martin White were supported by the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged.