A recent study shows that online fast food advertising is unhealthy for peopleNutritional psychology in adolescents and adultscould be. Because companies like McDonald's focus their marketing on low-income countries, this leads to poor eating habits in adulthood. In addition, according to the study authors, advertisements on Instagram and other digital media platforms could endanger the health of young people.
Why advertising fast food could be unhealthy for the younger generation
According to the research team, the marketing ads that target young consumers could play a role in food consumption patterns that lead to health complications later in life. The study authors randomly selected 15 countries to find out how McDonald's markets its products on different continents. Accordingly, they wanted to find out whether the company's marketing practices differed depending on the consumer environment in the selected countries. The research focused on Instagram because it is one of the most popular social media platforms among teenagers and young adults. The results showed that McDonald's published more advertisements and used price promotions, giveaways, and child-targeted marketing tactics. These ads are effective where the price of food and beverages is crucial to consumers' purchasing decisions.
According to the researchers, such fast food advertisements have an unhealthy effect on adults because they mainly promote products high in fat, sugar and salt. These are known to be linked to poor nutrition and poor health. Additionally, such advertisements contribute to an environment that makes it more difficult for adults and children to make healthy food choices. These tactics create young consumers who remain loyal to their brand throughout their lifespan, the study authors said. A diet high in fat, sugar and salt also increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and cardiovascular disease later in life.This observational studyshows that marketing ads could be harmful to certain target groups. In addition, changing the online presence guidelines of fast food chains would benefit many people.
