Signs with a Side of Fries: The influence of outdoor advertising on retail food outlet purchases by adolescents
Most Canadian adolescents have diets high in fat, sodium, and free sugar. There are concerns among researchers and policymakers that food and beverage marketing has an adverse impact on adolescent dietary attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours. The food environment plays an important role in shaping diets and health. The food information environment, and more specifically outdoor food and beverage advertising, may have an effect on adolescent food and beverage purchases. This thesis investigates the associations between the availability of, accessibility to, or exposure to outdoor advertising and retail food outlets, coupled with attitudes related to food and beverage consumption, and purchases at retail food outlets by adolescents in a mid-sized Canadian census metropolitan area. Findings are relevant to policymakers and practitioners at all levels of government and improve on prior research related to retail food and beverage marketing.