Comida en venta: after-school advertising on Spanish-language television in the United States

To analyze the content of food and drink commercials aired during after-school hours on Spanish-language television.

We performed a content analysis of food and drink advertisements, evaluating product type, food category, and message content. All advertisements aired during after-school hours (3 to 9 p.m.) on 2 U.S. Spanish-language television stations were sampled over a 1-week period in the spring of 2006.

We reviewed 60 hours of programming. Of the non-program content, 47% was for product advertisements, 15% (n = 153) of which was for food/drink. A mean of 2.5 food/drink commercials aired per hour (range 0-8), and the median duration was 30 seconds; 31% of food/drink commercials advertised fast food, and 27% advertised drinks, most (54%) of which were sugared. About one third (31%) of the food/drink commercials targeted children, 12% featured Latino celebrities, and 19% made reference to Latino culture. Only 16% of the food/drink commercials had health-related content.

Children viewing Spanish-language television in the United States after school are exposed to food and drink commercials, most of which advertise unhealthy foods, including fast food and sugared drinks. Food and beverage advertising on Spanish-language television may play an important role in the high risk of overweight among Latino children.