Ultra-processed food and beverage advertising on Brazilian television by International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-Communicable Diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support benchmark.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the extent and nature of food and beverage advertising on the three major Brazilian free-to-air television (TV) channels. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. A protocol developed for the International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-Communicable Diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support was applied for data collection. A total of 432 h of TV programming was recorded from 06.00 to 24.00 hours, for eight non-consecutive and randomly selected days, in April 2018. All TV advertisements (ads) were analysed, and food-related ads were classified according to the NOVA classification system. Descriptive analyses were used to describe the number and type of ads, food categories and the distribution of ads throughout the day and time of the day. SETTING: The three most popular free-to-air channels on Brazilian TV. PARTICIPANTS: The study did not involve human subjects. RESULTS: In total, 14·2 % (n 1156 out of 7991) of ads were food related (858 were specific food items). Approximately 91 % of food items ads included ultra-processed food (UPF) products. The top three most promoted products were soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and fast-food meals. Alcoholic beverage ads were more frequently broadcast in the evening. CONCLUSION: The high risk of exposure of the Brazilian population to UPF ads should be considered a public health concern given the impact of unhealthy food advertising on people's food choices and health.

Factors associated with overweight in children living in the neighbourhoods of an urban area of Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the individual and family determinants of being overweight among children younger than 10 years of age. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. Direct data on children's age, food intake, physical activity, type of transportation used and anthropometric measurements, as well as the education level of the mothers, were collected by trained interviewers. SETTING: Population-based study in the city of Santos, Brazil. SUBJECTS: A total of 531 children under 10 years of age (302 aged <6 years, 229 aged ≥6 years), living in the city of Santos. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity (BMI-for-age Z-score >1) was 35·4 % for children under 6 years and 38·9 % for children aged 6-10 years. The socio-economic status of the family was associated with being overweight for both age groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that the lower the socio-economic status, the higher the likelihood of being overweight, among both younger children (OR = 7·73; P = 0·02) and older children (OR = 1·98; P = 0·04). The use of active transportation was associated with a lower likelihood of being overweight, but only among younger children (OR = 1·70; P = 0·05). CONCLUSIONS: Socio-economic status seems to be an important individual-level determinant of overweight in children. Public policies should consider promoting the use of active transportation, as the results showed it to have a positive effect on reducing overweight issues. The high prevalence of overweight in younger children suggests that this age group should be a priority in health-promoting interventions.