Ecological momentary assessment of digital food and beverage marketing exposure and impact in young adults: A feasibility study

Authors

Clare Whitton, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
Yvonne Hui Wong, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Jerrald Lau, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Xin Hui Chua, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Andre Matthias Müller, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Chuen Seng Tan, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Rob M. van Dam, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences and Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States.
Falk Müller-Riemenschneider, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Digital Health Center, Berlin Institute of Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Salome A. Rebello, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. Electronic address: ephsar@nus.edu.sg.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

6-1-2024

Journal

Appetite

Volume

197

DOI

10.1016/j.appet.2024.107338

Keywords

Advertising exposure; Craving; Digital marketing; Ecological momentary assessment; Food marketing

Abstract

Unhealthy food marketing is contributing to the obesity epidemic, but real-time insights into the mechanisms of this relationship are under-studied. Digital marketing is growing and following food and beverage (F&B) brands on social media is common, but measurement of exposure and impact of such marketing presents novel challenges. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of collecting data on exposure and impact of digital F&B marketing (DFM) using a smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology. We hypothesized that DFM-induced food cravings would vary based on whether (or not) participants engaged with F&B brands online. Participants were Singapore residents (n = 95, 21-40 years), recruited via telephone from an existing cohort. Participants were asked to upload screenshots of all sightings of online F&B marketing messages for seven days, and answer in-app contextual questions about sightings including whether any cravings were induced. Participants provided a total of 1310 uploads (median 9 per participant, Q1-Q3: 4-21) of F&B marketing messages, 27% of which were provided on Day 1, significantly more than on other days (P < 0.001). Followers of food/beverage brands on social media encountered 25.6 percentage points (95% CI 11.4, 39.7) more marketing messages that induced cravings than participants who were not followers. University education was also associated with more (18.1 percentage points; 95% CI 3.1, 33.1) encounters with marketing messages that induced cravings. It was practical and acceptable to participants to gather insights into digital F&B marketing exposure and impact using EMA in young adults, although a shorter study period is recommended in future studies. Followers of food and beverage brands on social media appear to be more prone to experience cravings after exposure to digital F&B marketing.

APA Citation

Whitton, Clare; Wong, Yvonne Hui; Lau, Jerrald; Chua, Xin Hui; Müller, Andre Matthias; Tan, Chuen Seng; van Dam, Rob M.; Müller-Riemenschneider, Falk; and Rebello, Salome A., "Ecological momentary assessment of digital food and beverage marketing exposure and impact in young adults: A feasibility study" (2024). GW Authored Works. Paper 4651.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/4651

Department

Exercise and Nutrition Sciences