Relationship between television viewing habit and exposure to food advertisements on children's behavior: The case in Sri Lanka

Children are considered as vulnerable and susceptible to the influence of television advertising, since they are seen not having the skills and experience required to process advertising messages in the context of their reality and needs. In the food context the most of the food advertisements that appear in the television is fast foods. Children consuming more ‘fast food’ are likely to have a lower intake of vitamins, mineral sand essential fatty acids, which are vital building blocks for brain function (Lauritzen et al., 2001). Advertisements, have impact on children's food request, yet parents are still the primary gatekeepers to children's food intake and the ones making the final purchasing decision.

This study is mainly targeted to examine the parent's attitudes towards television food advertising and influence of television food advertisements on children's behavior and food purchasing requests. This research is descriptive in nature and based on both primary and secondary data. The data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire and administered to a sample consists of three hundred parents. The data were analyzed mainly by using descriptive statistics and correlation. The study discloses that TV viewing behavior and exposure to food advertisements positively correlate with children's food request and their obesity, brand loyalty and pester power. The implication of the study is that, the government, advertising/marketing bodies and parent/schools should jointly responsible towards the bad influence of television food advertisements on the children behavior.