Navigation
Exposure to and impact of unhealthy food marketing on adolescents and young adults: A narrative review and research agenda
The global rise in premature death and preventable diseases is increasingly linked to the consumption of unhealthy food. Research indicates that the marketing strategies employed by companies that produce and sell unhealthy foods significantly contribute to increased consumption of these products. However, there has been limited investigation into how cumulative exposure to different marketing channels affects specific groups. This narrative review by Ilieva et al. (2025) synthesizes 25 years of scientific evidence from 108 empirical studies and 19 systematic and scoping reviews on unhealthy food marketing aimed at adolescents (ages 13–17) and young adults (ages 18–25)—two demographics frequently targeted by food advertising. The review examines patterns of exposure, variations based on age, income, and race/ethnicity, as well as the collective impact of multi-platform marketing efforts. The findings highlight that youth from lower-income and racial/ethnic minority backgrounds, particularly Black and Latinx adolescents in the U.S., experience higher levels of exposure to unhealthy food marketing across various media channels. Over 90% of the studies included showed a link between such exposure and increased consumption of the promoted products. Notably, marketing through social media influencers is becoming a dominant tactic. While evidence on multi-platform marketing is growing, cumulative exposure and its full impact remain underexplored. The review recommends further research to minimize the negative effects of unhealthy food and beverage marketing on young people. [NPID: Unhealthy food, marketing exposure, adolescents, young adults, social media, influencer marketing, racial disparities]
Year: 2025
