Youth exposure to marketing of sugary beverages and intake across six countries during pre- mid- and late COVID-19 pandemic

Unhealthy food marketing is omnipresent and influences youths food preferences, consumption patterns and purchases, with important implications for health later in life. Marketing of sugary drinks is of particular interest as these are a principal source of sugar in young Canadians diets and intake is associated with obesity. Globally, public health policies have been implemented to restrict marketing directed at youth. In parallel, exposure to marketing of sugary drinks may have increased as a result of greater screen time during COVID-19 lockdowns and preliminary evidence suggests sugary drink intakes increased among youth. This project will explore youth exposure to marketing of sugary drinks across 6 countries and the relationship between marketing exposure and sugary drink intake during 3 phases of the COVID-19 pandemic (pre, mid, late). Exposure to marketing in various locations and intake of sugary drinks will be measured in repeated surveys of 11,500 youth ages 10-17 from Canada, Australia, Chile, Mexico, United Kingdom and United States at each phase of the pandemic as part of the International Food Policy Study. The level of lockdown restrictions will be assessed at each time point in each country to investigate associations with marketing exposure and sugary drink intake. Differences in potentially vulnerable subpopulations will be explored. This research uniquely provides in-depth individual-level marketing exposure data at various time points of the pandemic. Findings will contribute to global knowledge on the impact of food marketing on health-related outcomes among youth to inform food marketing policy, and may also inform future health crises, ensuring public health measures are supported by efforts to protect vulnerable populations.