The Effect of Perceived Healthy and Unhealthy Commercials on Intake of Perceived Healthy and Unhealthy Snack foods in Normal Weight, College-Aged, Dietary Restrained Women

Background: Exposure to various types of food cues via television commercials may enhance consumption of different foods, particularly in females who engage in cognitive efforts to control food intake (i.e., restrained eaters). However, it is unknown if food-related commercials differing in health perceptions impact on intake of foods with differing health perceptions. This study investigated the effect of viewing “healthy” or “unhealthy” food commercials on intake of “healthy” and “unhealthy” snack foods in healthy weight, dietary-restrained, college-aged women.

Methods: Using a 3 x 2 between-subjects design (factors of commercial type [“healthy” foods, “unhealthy” foods, and non-food-related] and snack food type [“healthy” and “unhealthy]), 36 women (21.9 + 1.5 kg/m² [kilograms per meters squared], 20.2 + 2.3 years) were randomized to one of six conditions. Participants watched a 35-minute television program, containing a 30-minute comedy sketch (Saturday Night Live) containing no food cues and five minutes of commercials. Conditions differed by type of commercials shown, “healthy” foods, “unhealthy” foods, and non-food related, and the type of food provided to consume (200 g each of “healthy” snack foods, carrots [0.41 kcal/g] and grapes [0.75 kcal/g], providing 232 kcals; or “unhealthy” snack foods, potato chips [5.1 kcals/g] and chocolate chip cookies [5.0 kcal/g], providing 2020 kcals). Dependent variables were grams and energy of snack food consumed.

Results: Factorial analyses of variance revealed a significant main effect of snack food type on energy and grams consumed. Participants consumed more grams when provided a “healthy” snack as compared to an “unhealthy” snack (173.5 g + 70.3 vs. 87.8 + 43.1 g, p < 0.001) and more energy when provided an “unhealthy” snack as compared to a “healthy” snack (425 + 230 kcal vs. 105 + 46 kcal, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Exposure to food-related commercials while watching television did not increase intake as compared to watching television without food-related commercials in healthy weight female, restrained eaters. As greater energy intake occurred when only foods higher in energy density were provided, if one eats while watching television, only having foods lower in energy density available to eat may assist with reducing energy consumed.