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Qualitative Health Research
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The Role of the Media in Influencing Children's Nutritional Perceptions

Enid Dorey

University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Judith McCool

University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Recently the mass media environment of children, in particular food advertising, has come under scrutiny as a contributing factor in the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity. Focus groups were used to explore how children's appraisals of various forms of media inform their health-related perceptions about eating and nutrition. Ninety participants aged 10 to 12 years were recruited from schools throughout Auckland, New Zealand. Schools were randomly selected from among those rated with low, medium, and high socioeconomic status. Results show that the media is a key factor shaping how young people conceptualize healthy eating and healthy bodies. Mass media food messages were not seen as a credible source of health information; rather, they assist in constructing and reinforcing dominant misconceptions about food, healthy eating, and nutrition. Nutritional messages embedded in both health promotion and advertising were perceived to be conflicting and ambiguous, and might serve to undermine the trustworthiness of health promotion initiatives.

Key Words: children • communication • health • behavior • health education • marketing • media • nutrition

Qualitative Health Research, Vol. 19, No. 5, 645-654 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1049732309334104
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