Maternal Perception and Attitude towards Television Food Advertisements Targeting Children: A Cross-sectional Questionnaire Study from Pune, India

Introduction: Television food advertisements targeting children are recognised as a significant health risk, influencing their dietary choices and contributing to the increasing prevalence of Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) among children in Low and Middle-income Countries (LMICs). Understanding maternal perceptions and attitudes towards these advertisements is crucial for designing effective public health interventions. Aim: To evaluate maternal perceptions and attitudes toward television food advertisements targeting children, specifically among mothers of children aged 4-11 years. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Dr. D. Y. Patil Dental College and Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra, India, from My 2023 to November 2023. A total of 332 mothers of children aged 4-11 years were divided into two groups: Group 1 (mothers of children aged 4-7 years) with 159 participants, and group 2 (mothers of children aged 8-11 years) with 173 participants. A prevalidated, closed-ended questionnaire consisting of 24 questions was administered to the mothers. The reliability of the questionnaire was ensured through the preliminary exploratory study and expert reviews, achieving a Cronbach's Alpha value of 0.84. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests to compare perceptions of mothers in both groups. Results: The study received 332 responses from mothers with children aged 4-11 years. Significant differences between the two age groups were observed. In group 1, 64 (52%) mothers mothers agreed, while 41 (57.7%) mothers in group 2 strongly agreed that their children show a keen interest in watching food advertisements. Additionally, 80 (55.9%) mothers in group 1 agreed, while 39 (44.8%) mothers in group 2 strongly agreed that their children do not understand the persuasive intent of food advertisements, with statistical significance (p-value=0.001). Most mothers, 75 (52.4%) in group 1 and 68 (47.6%) in group 2, agreed that reducing exposure to food advertisements would improve children's eating behaviour (p-value=0.01). Moreover, 61 (64.9%) mothers in group 1 strongly agreed, and 77 (58.3%) mothers in group 2 agreed that seeing advertisements persuaded children to want unhealthy foods, highlighting significant differences between the age groups (p-value=0.004). Conclusion: Mothers recognise the negative impact of TV food advertisements on their children's eating habits, particularly noting the use of cartoons and celebrities to promote unhealthy snacks and low-nutrition food that their children struggle to understand. The present study emphasises the urgent need for regulatory measures to protect young viewers and promote healthier dietary choices across different age groups.