Program Areas

Childhood Obesity

Marketing to Kids

RWJF Priority: Reduce youths’ exposure to the marketing of unhealthy foods through regulation, policy, and effective industry self-regulation

Unhealthy foods and beverages are heavily marketed to children, and research shows that exposure to food marketing messages increases children’s obesity risk. Food and beverage companies also target African-American and Latino children with more advertising and for products that are less healthy. Some studies suggest that marketing restrictions are among the most powerful and cost-effective interventions available. 

The resources below, from RWJF grantees and partners, explore how food and beverage marketing affects children’s food preferences and their risk for obesity.

Childhood Obesity Policy Priorities

From the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity

Cereal FACTS 2012

Cereal FACTS 2012

Cereal companies have improved the nutritional quality of most cereals marketed directly to children, but they have increased advertising to children for many of their least nutritious products.

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From the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity

Fast Food FACTS

Fast Food FACTS

Children as young as age 2 are seeing more fast food ads than ever before, and restaurants rarely offer parents the healthy kids’ meal choices.

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On The Run: How Families Struggle To Eat Well And Exercise

On the Run: Challenges and Solutions

On the Run: Challenges and Solutions

A poll reveals that many parents face a variety of barriers to helping their children lead healthy lives, especially during the "crunch time" from 3 p.m. to bedtime.

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More Research and Resources on Marketing to Kids

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Childhood Obesity Program Area

RWJF is committed to tackling one of the most urgent threats to the health of our children and families—childhood obesity. Our goal is to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.

School District Wellness Policies

February 28, 2013 | Report

A report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Bridging the Gap program finds that progress to improve school district wellness policies has stalled.

Child-Directed Marketing Within and Around Fast-Food Restaurants

December 1, 2012 | Issue Brief

The fast-food industry spends $660 million to market its products to children and adolescents each year and spends the most on toys for kids’ meals—$360 million for the cost of toys alone.  These efforts help fast-food restaurants sell more than 1.2 ...

Sports Participation in Secondary Schools

October 1, 2012 | Issue Brief

Participating in school sports is an important means to increase physical activity among adolescents. This brief examines participation during the school year by secondary school students in interscholastic sports (played against teams from other sc ...

Zoning for Healthy Food Access Varies by Community Income

April 1, 2012 | Issue Brief

Zoning and land use laws allow or prohibit different types of food outlets, such as supermarkets, farmers’ markets, fast-food restaurants, and convenience stores, in a community. As such, these laws affect people’s access to healthy affordable foods ...

Sugary Drink FACTS

October 31, 2011 | Issue Brief

Young people are being exposed to a substantial amount of marketing for sugary drinks, such as full-calorie soda, sports drinks, energy drinks, and fruit drinks, according to a new study from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.