A six country study of young children's media exposure, logo recognition, and dietary preferences

Childhood obesity is a global public health concern. Previous research, mainly conducted in developed countries, suggests that marketing and media exposure is associated with unhealthy eating behaviors. This cross-sectional study was done with 2422 children, mean age 5.5 years, SD = .5, from six low-and middle-income counties (LMICs) (Brazil, China, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Russia). The analyses investigated media exposure, logo recognition, and preferences for international foods and beverages, such as globally distributed items like McDonald's hamburgers and Coca-Cola soft drinks. Overall and in each country, path analysis models showed that media exposure and logo recognition directly and indirectly predicted the selection of international foods and beverages, controlling for child's sex, age, home location, and parental education. Public health and communication experts must continue to investigate and understand these relationships, so as to inform regulations around food and beverage marketing.