RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity have dramatically increased in recent years. In 2006, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among 6- to 12-year-old children was 26% in Mexico. Food advertising has shown to be a contributor to childhood obesity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency and types of food advertisements geared toward children living in Baja California. METHODS: Two local channels and three national channels, during a period of 7 h on weekday afternoons and 6 h on weekend mornings, were recorded for 7 days. A total of 235 h were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 8299 advertisements were registered; 22% were food-related and 50% were geared toward children. The average of food-related advertisements (FRAs) per half an hour was 4, and half of them were geared toward children. During the time that children may be watching television, 50% of all FRAs were potato and corn chips, desserts and cakes, juices, sweetened cereals, candies, cookies, sweetened beverages and fast foods, which comprises a higher percentage of adult-oriented FRA (32 versus 22%). CONCLUSION: Children are systematically more exposed than adults to advertisements for high-energy-dense foods.