Outdoor Food & Beverage Advertising Targeted Around Predominantly Hispanic Schools in Central Texas

Introduction: Research suggests minority populations are differentially targeted by unhealthy product marketing. Further, differential marketing of foods and beverages to youth may be a significant risk factor contributing to the racial/ethnic disparities in the obesity epidemic. Research on this topic has often overlooked outdoor advertising around schools, a relatively inexpensive method with high potential for repeated exposure. The purpose of this study was to determine if the prevalence of outdoor food and beverage (FB) advertising was greater around middle and high schools with a greater Hispanic student population as compared to schools with a lower Hispanic population.

Methods: All FB advertisements located within a half-mile of 34 middle and 13 high schools in Central Texas were documented. Data collectors documented descriptive information and took a photo of each FB advertisement. Advertisements were coded as free standing or on establishments. Advertisements were coded for theme including price (signage emphasizing price) and deals/value meals (signs promoting discounted price/meal deals). These two themes were combined to create an overall price promotion variable. In order to determine if the prevalence of FB advertising varied by the Hispanic composition of the students in the school, data from the Texas Education Agency was used to create a variable which dichotomized the schools into two groups: schools that reported having ≥60% Hispanic students or “Hispanic” schools (n=22) and schools that reported having ≤60% Hispanic students or “non-Hispanic” schools (n=25). To determine if there was significantly more FB advertising overall, by category, and by price promotion around predominantly Hispanic schools, independent samples t-tests were conducted.

Results: Hispanic schools had more overall outdoor FB advertisements (M=172.76, SD=177.48) as compared to non-Hispanic schools (M=77.81, SD=86.06), (t(45)=p.03, p<.05). Similarly, Hispanic schools had more outdoor FB establishment advertisements (M=100.81, SD=106.76), (t(45)=p.03, p<.05) as compared to non-Hispanic schools (M=41.12, SD= 44.99). Differences in price promotion and freestanding advertisements by school type approached significance (p=.07 and p=.09, respectively) with Hispanic schools having more of each type on average.

Conclusion: Students attending schools with a greater percentage of Hispanic students encounter more advertising for unhealthy foods and beverages within one half mile of their schools. Research is needed that documents the content of these advertisements and determines the extent to which these advertisements affect Hispanic and other racial/ethnic minority youth’s attitudes and behaviors toward the consumption of these products.