Researchers in Sweden created a smartphone app that let kids take pictures of food advertisements they saw around their neighborhoods. By mapping where these ads appeared, scientists discovered that about 77% of outdoor food advertisements promote ultra-processed junk foods like sugary drinks and fast food, while only about 21% advertise healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. The study found this pattern was similar in both large and small cities, though wealthy neighborhoods had slightly more healthy food ads. This research shows that kids are surrounded by marketing for unhealthy foods in their daily lives, which may influence what they choose to eat.
The Quick Take
- What they studied: How many food advertisements kids see in their neighborhoods and whether those ads promote healthy or unhealthy foods
- Who participated: 46 children from 4 different schools in Sweden, living in neighborhoods with different income levels in two cities
- Key finding: About 3 out of 4 food advertisements that kids encounter promote ultra-processed junk foods, while only about 1 out of 5 advertise healthy foods like fruits and vegetables
- What it means for you: The food marketing environment around children is heavily skewed toward unhealthy options, which may make it harder for kids to develop healthy eating habits. This suggests that policy changes might be needed to balance the types of food advertisements kids see in public spaces.
The Research Details
This study used a creative two-step approach. First, 46 children from four schools in Sweden used a special smartphone app to photograph food advertisements they naturally encountered while going about their daily lives—walking to school, playing outside, or shopping. The app automatically recorded where each photo was taken using GPS location data. Second, researchers took all the location information from the children’s photos and identified 34 areas where lots of ads were clustered together (called “hotspot areas”). Then, trained researchers visited these hotspot areas and systematically photographed every single food advertisement they could find to get a complete picture of what was being advertised.
This approach is important because it captures the real food advertising environment that kids actually experience, rather than just guessing or using old data. By letting children identify where ads appear through their own daily activities, the researchers got an accurate picture of what kids are really exposed to. This method also shows how food marketing changes over time and in different neighborhoods, which helps policymakers understand the problem better.
This study is a good first test of a new tool, but it has some limitations to keep in mind. The sample size is relatively small (46 children), so the findings may not represent all Swedish children. The study only looked at two Swedish cities, so results might be different in other countries or regions. The research was conducted at one point in time, so we don’t know if these patterns stay the same throughout the year or change over time. However, the use of actual children’s observations combined with systematic researcher verification makes the findings more reliable than studies that only use one method.
What the Results Show
The researchers analyzed 2,955 outdoor food advertisements found in the 34 hotspot areas. They discovered that 77.5% of these advertisements promoted ultra-processed foods (UPFs)—products like sugary drinks, fast food, candy, and packaged snacks that are high in calories, sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats but low in nutrients. Only 20.8% of advertisements featured health-promoting foods like fruits, berries, vegetables, and seafood. The remaining advertisements were for other types of food. This pattern was very similar in both the large city (Stockholm) and the smaller city studied, showing that the problem isn’t limited to one type of area.
The study also looked at price promotions (special deals and discounts) on food advertisements. About 23.6% of all advertisements included some kind of price promotion. Of these promotional ads, 74.3% were for ultra-processed junk foods, while only 20.4% were for healthy foods. This means that not only are unhealthy foods advertised more often, but they’re also more likely to be on sale, which makes them seem like a better deal to families shopping on a budget. Price promotions for healthy foods were more common in wealthier neighborhoods, suggesting that families with lower incomes may have fewer opportunities to see discounts on nutritious foods.
This research aligns with previous studies showing that food marketing environments are heavily skewed toward unhealthy products. Earlier research has shown that ultra-processed foods dominate food advertising on television and online, and this study confirms that the same pattern exists in physical outdoor spaces where children spend time. The finding that wealthier neighborhoods have slightly more healthy food advertising matches previous research suggesting that food environments differ by income level. However, this is one of the first studies to use children’s own observations combined with systematic mapping to understand outdoor food advertising.
The study only included 46 children from two Swedish cities, so the results may not apply to other countries or regions with different food marketing practices. The research was done at one specific time, so we don’t know if these patterns change with seasons or over years. The study only looked at outdoor advertisements, not indoor ads in stores or digital ads online. Additionally, the researchers couldn’t measure whether seeing these advertisements actually changed what children ate, only that they were exposed to them. The study also didn’t include information about how often children saw each advertisement or how much time they spent in these hotspot areas.
The Bottom Line
Based on this research, public health experts suggest that communities should consider policies to reduce the amount of ultra-processed food advertising in areas where children spend time, such as near schools and parks. This might include limiting certain types of advertisements or requiring more advertising space for healthy foods. Families can help by talking with children about food advertising and why companies use marketing to encourage people to buy certain foods. While individual choices matter, this research suggests that changing the overall food environment through policy may be necessary to make healthy eating easier for all children. (Confidence level: Moderate—this is one study of a new tool, so more research is needed to confirm these findings.)
Parents, teachers, school administrators, and community leaders should pay attention to this research because it shows that children are constantly exposed to unhealthy food marketing in their daily environments. Public health officials and policymakers should care because this research provides a new tool for identifying and monitoring food advertising in their communities. Children themselves should understand that food companies use advertising to influence their food choices. However, this research doesn’t mean that individual children or families are doing anything wrong—it’s about understanding the bigger picture of how food marketing shapes our choices.
This research doesn’t measure how quickly changes would happen if policies were implemented. However, previous research suggests that reducing exposure to unhealthy food advertising could gradually influence children’s food preferences and eating habits over months to years. Changes in the food environment typically take time to show effects on actual eating behaviors and health outcomes.
Want to Apply This Research?
- Users could use a similar app to photograph and map food advertisements in their own neighborhoods, then track how the proportion of healthy versus unhealthy food ads changes over time in their area. They could set a goal to identify and visit ‘healthy food hotspots’ (areas with more fruit, vegetable, and healthy food advertising) and track visits to these areas.
- When users encounter food advertisements in their daily lives, they could use the app to pause and think critically about the ad before making a food choice. The app could send reminders when users are in high-junk-food-advertising areas, prompting them to make intentional food decisions rather than impulse purchases influenced by marketing.
- Users could track their exposure to food advertisements by neighborhood or location over weeks and months, noting which areas have the most unhealthy food marketing. They could also track their own food purchases and eating patterns in relation to the advertisements they encounter, helping them understand how their environment influences their choices. This data could be shared with community organizations working on food environment improvements.
This research describes the food advertising environment children are exposed to, but it does not prove that seeing these advertisements directly causes unhealthy eating or obesity. Individual food choices are influenced by many factors including family habits, personal preferences, and access to healthy foods. This study was conducted in Sweden and may not apply to other countries or regions. If you have concerns about your child’s diet or health, please consult with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian. This information is for educational purposes and should not replace professional medical or nutritional advice.
This research translation is published by Gram Research, the science division of Gram, an AI-powered nutrition tracking app.