Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity: An Evidence-Based Examination of Influence, Mechanisms, and Policy Implications

Nalongo Bina K.

Faculty of Medicine Kampala International University Uganda

ABSTRACT

Childhood obesity remains a growing public health challenge in the United States and globally, with food marketing identified as a significant environmental driver of unhealthy dietary patterns among children. This narrative review synthesizes evidence on the mechanisms through which food marketing across television, digital media, in-store environments, and school settings shapes children’s food preferences, consumption behaviors, and long-term risk of obesity. The analysis draws upon interdisciplinary research from public health, psychology, marketing, and economics to examine how marketing captures attention, alters risk perception, increases brand salience, and promotes energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods. Evidence consistently demonstrates that children are highly susceptible to marketing due to developmental limitations, limited advertising literacy, and heightened responsiveness to animated, personalized, and emotionally appealing content. Digital and algorithmically targeted marketing has intensified exposure, presenting new challenges for regulation and surveillance. Studies of policy interventions, including school-based restrictions, television advertising bans, and digital marketing regulations, show mixed but generally positive effects on reducing exposure, caloric intake, and obesity-related outcomes. However, industry resistance, voluntary codes with limited enforcement, and shifts toward unregulated platforms continue to undermine progress. Methodological gaps persist, particularly concerning causal pathways, socioeconomic disparities, and long-term behavioral effects. Overall, this review emphasizes that effective obesity prevention requires comprehensive policy action, ethically grounded regulation, and sustained research to counteract pervasive commercial influences that shape children’s food environments.

Keywords: Childhood Obesity, Food Marketing, Digital Advertising, Consumer Behavior, and Public Health Policy.

CITE AS: Nalongo Bina K.. (2026). Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity: An Evidence-Based Examination of Influence, Mechanisms, and Policy Implications. IDOSR JOURNAL OF APPLIED SCIENCES 11(1):128-134. https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSRJAS/2026/111128134