Unhealthy sponsorship in sport: a case study of the AFL

Objective: To analyse the presence of unhealthy sponsorship on Australian Football League (AFL) club websites and player uniforms. Methods: An audit of AFL club websites and playing uniforms identified sponsors and used a traffic light system to categorise sponsors. Food and beverage sponsors were classified as Red, Amber or Green using nutrient criteria. Alcohol sponsors were classified as Red. Gambling sponsors were classified as Red (wagering companies and casinos) or Amber (venues that provide gambling and other services). Sponsors promoting healthy lifestyle concepts were classified as Green. All other sponsors were classified as Other. Results: Unhealthy sponsorship on AFL club websites and player uniforms is extensive. All 18 clubs had at least one Red sponsor. Fifteen clubs were sponsored by alcohol companies. Five clubs featured Red sponsor logos on their playing uniforms. Twelve clubs had Green sponsors. No clubs displayed Green sponsors on their playing uniforms. Conclusions: This study identified that unhealthy sponsorship is prevalent on AFL club websites and playing uniforms. Implications for public health: Sponsorship offers companies an avenue to expose children and young people to their brand, encouraging a connection with that brand. The AFL could reinforce healthy lifestyle choices by shifting the focus away from the visual presence of unhealthy sponsorship, while taking steps to ensure that clubs remain commercially viable. Policy makers are encouraged to consider innovative health promotion strategies and work with sporting clubs and codes to ensure healthy messages are prominent.     

Food and drink sponsorship of children's sport in Australia: who pays?

The creation of health promoting sports clubs may support the promotion and adoption of healthy behaviours by children. Sponsorship is one aspect of clubs, with potential influence on clubs and their participants. In particular, sponsorship influences brand awareness and attitudes, so that the sponsorship of children's sport by unhealthy food companies may contribute to food preferences and poor eating habits. This study aimed to determine the nature and extent of food and beverage sponsorship of children's sport. Sports clubs (n = 108) for the nine most popular sports for children aged 5-14 were randomly sampled from three large geographical areas in Australia. A purpose-designed telephone questionnaire was developed to determine the extent of sponsorship. Experts from different fields were approached (n = 10) to generate a consensus on the elements of sponsors that are more/less health promoting. The survey response rate was 99%. Of the 347 sponsors identified, 17% were food or beverage companies. Fifty percent of food company sponsorship arrangements did not meet criteria for healthy sponsors. For most clubs, less than a quarter of their income came from sponsorship. A considerable proportion of clubs with food company sponsors had the company's signage on players' uniforms (53%), distributed rewards using the company's name (24%) or gave vouchers to players for the company's products (29%). Any restriction of unhealthy food and beverage company sponsorship of children's sport may not result in major funding difficulties for clubs, as this funding represents a relatively small proportion of their income base, even though it provides major promotional opportunities to sponsors.     

The impact of unhealthy food sponsorship vs. pro-health sponsorship models on young adults’ food preferences: a randomised controlled trial

Background

Unhealthy foods are promoted heavily, through food company sponsorship of elite sport, resulting in extensive exposure among young adults who are avid sport spectators. This study explores the effects of sponsorship of an elite sporting event by: (A) non-food brands (control), (B) unhealthy food brands, (C) healthier food brands, or (D) an obesity prevention public health campaign on young adults’ brand awareness, attitudes, image perceptions, event-sponsor fit perceptions, and preference for food sponsors’ products.

Methods

A between-subjects web-based experiment was conducted, consisting of four sponsorship conditions (A through D) featuring three product categories within each condition. Australian adults (N?=?1132) aged 18–24?years were recruited via a national online panel. Participants viewed promotional videos and news stories about an upcoming international, multi-sport event (with sponsor content edited to reflect each condition), completed a distractor task, and then answered questions assessing the response variables. Regression analyses were conducted to test for differences by sponsorship condition on the respective outcome measures.

Results

Compared to the control condition, unhealthy food sponsorship promoted higher awareness of, and more favourable attitudes towards, unhealthy food sponsor brands. Unhealthy food sponsorship also led to greater perceived event-sponsor fit and transfer of perceptions of the sporting event to the unhealthy food sponsor brands, relative to the control group. Exposure to sponsorship for healthier foods produced similar sponsorship effects for healthier food sponsor brands, as well as prompting a significant increase in the proportion of young adults showing a preference for these products. Obesity prevention campaign sponsorship promoted higher campaign awareness and perceived event-sponsor fit, but did not impact food attitudes or preference for unhealthy versus healthier foods.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that restricting elite sport sponsorship to healthier food brands that meet set nutritional criteria could help promote healthier eating among young adults. Sporting organisations should be encouraged to seek sponsorship from companies who produce healthier food brands and government-funded social marketing campaigns.

Clinical trial registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) registration number ACTRN12618000368235. Retrospectively registered 12 March 2018.

     

Unhealthy sport sponsorship at the 2017 AFL Grand Final: a case study of its frequency,duration and nature

Objective: To assess the frequency, duration and nature of unhealthy marketing during the highest‐rating sporting event in Australia in 2017. Methods: A content analysis of the 2017 Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final television broadcast identified episodes of unhealthy food and sugary drink, alcohol and gambling marketing (and pro‐health marketing as a comparison). Results: There were 559 unhealthy marketing episodes (47 minutes 17 seconds). Most (81%) were for unhealthy food and sugary drink products, while alcohol (9%) and gambling (10%) were less frequent. The total duration of unhealthy marketing was delivered primarily via fixed advertising (55%), dynamic advertising (32%) and branded objects (11%). For unhealthy food and sugary drinks, at least one episode was visible 25% of the time. For each of alcohol and gambling, at least one episode was visible 4% of the time. Unhealthy food and sugary drink marketing peaked in Quarter 2. Pro‐health marketing was limited, with 26 episodes (2 minutes 59 seconds). Conclusions: The 2017 AFL Grand Final broadcast featured a high frequency and extensive duration of unhealthy marketing, especially for unhealthy food and sugary drink brands. Implications for public health: Findings strengthen evidence supporting calls to increase regulation of sport sponsorship by unhealthy brands.     

Cricket: notching up runs for food and alcohol companies?

Objective: To analyse sports sponsorship by food and alcohol companies by quantifying the proportion of time that the main sponsor's logo was seen during each of three cricket telecasts, the extent of paid advertising during the telecast and the contribution by the main sponsor to this, and to describe the associated ground advertising.
Methods: DVD recordings of the three telecasts were analysed for visibility of the main sponsor's logo during actual playing time and for each sponsor's proportion of the advertising time during breaks in telecast.
Results: The main sponsor's logo was visible on a range of equipment and clothing that resulted in it being clearly identifiable from 44% to 74% of the game time. The proportion of paid advertising time in these three telecasts varied from 3% to 20%, reflecting the difference in advertising content of paid television versus free-to-air.
Implications: While television food advertising to children is under review, sporting telecasts also reach children and, until recently, have avoided scrutiny. This content analysis of three recent cricket telecasts reveals an unacceptable level of exposure to food and alcohol marketing, particularly in the form of the main sponsor's logo. Sponsorship is not covered by the voluntary codes of practice that address some forms of advertising. A new system of regulation is required to reduce this unacceptable level of exposure.     

Alcohol and fast food sponsorship in sporting clubs with junior teams participating in the ‘Good Sports’ program: a cross‐sectional study

Objective : To examine: alcohol and fast food sponsorship of junior community sporting clubs; the association between sponsorship and club characteristics; and parent and club representative attitudes toward sponsorship. Methods : A cross‐sectional telephone survey of representatives from junior community football clubs across New South Wales and Victoria, Australia, and parents/carers of junior club members. Participants were from junior teams with Level 3 accreditation in the ‘Good Sports’ program. Results : A total of 79 club representatives and 297 parents completed the survey. Half of participating clubs (49%) were sponsored by the alcohol industry and one‐quarter (27%) were sponsored by the fast food industry. In multivariate analyses, the odds of alcohol sponsorship among rugby league clubs was 7.4 (95%CI: 1.8–31.0, p=<0.006) that of AFL clubs, and clubs located in regional areas were more likely than those in major cities to receive fast food industry sponsorship (OR= 9.1; 95%CI: 1.0–84.0, p=0.05). The majority (78–81%) of club representatives and parents were supportive of restrictions to prohibit certain alcohol sponsorship practices, but a minority (42%) were supportive of restrictions to prohibit certain fast food sponsorship practices. Conclusions : Large proportions of community sports clubs with junior members are sponsored by the alcohol industry and the fast food industry. There is greater acceptability for prohibiting sponsorship from the alcohol industry than the fast food industry. Implications for public health : Health promotion efforts should focus on reducing alcohol industry and fast food industry sponsorship of junior sports clubs.     

Editorial – Time to get tough on unhealthy sponsorships

Health is everybody's business, and the Bangkok Charter placed health promotion firmly in a global context, calling for an integrated policy approach where health is central to global development and a key requirement for good corporate practice. The Charter recognised the potential harms associated with marketing strategies1 and there is a growing recognition that advertising and marketing of unhealthy food and drinks, including alcohol, have a negative impact on children's knowledge, attitudes, preferences and consumption. A recent New Zealand study also found links between alcohol industry sponsorship and higher levels of alcohol consumption among sport participants. In Australia, the National Preventative Health Taskforce placed advertising and marketing of unhealthy products firmly on the national health agenda and concluded that the weight of evidence is now sufficiently compelling to recommend action to control what remains an overwhelmingly self‐regulated industry.     

The Nature and Extent of Online Marketing by Big Food and Big Alcohol During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia: Content Analysis Study

BackgroundEmerging evidence demonstrates that obesity is associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Excessive alcohol consumption and “comfort eating” as coping mechanisms during times of high stress have been shown to further exacerbate mental and physical ill-health. Global examples suggest that unhealthy food and alcohol brands and companies are using the COVID-19 pandemic to further market their products. However, there has been no systematic, in-depth analysis of how “Big Food” and “Big Alcohol” are capitalizing on the COVID-19 pandemic to market their products and brands.ObjectiveWe aimed to quantify the extent and nature of online marketing by alcohol and unhealthy food and beverage companies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.MethodsWe conducted a content analysis of all COVID-19-related social media posts made by leading alcohol and unhealthy food and beverage brands (n=42) and their parent companies (n=12) over a 4-month period (February to May 2020) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.ResultsNearly 80% of included brands and all parent companies posted content related to COVID-19 during the 4-month period. Quick service restaurants (QSRs), food and alcohol delivery companies, alcohol brands, and bottle shops were the most active in posting COVID-19-related content. The most common themes for COVID-19-related marketing were isolation activities and community support. Promotion of hygiene and home delivery was also common, particularly for QSRs and alcohol and food delivery companies. Parent companies were more likely to post about corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, such as donations of money and products, and to offer health advice.ConclusionsThis is the first study to show that Big Food and Big Alcohol are incessantly marketing their products and brands on social media platforms using themes related to COVID-19, such as isolation activities and community support. Parent companies are frequently posting about CSR initiatives, such as donations of money and products, thereby creating a fertile environment to loosen current regulation or resist further industry regulation. “COVID-washing” by large alcohol brands, food and beverage brands, and their parent companies is both common and concerning. The need for comprehensive regulations to restrict unhealthy food and alcohol marketing, as recommended by the World Health Organization, is particularly acute in the COVID-19 context and is urgently required to “build back better” in a post-COVID-19 world.     

Children’s awareness of alcohol sponsorship of sport in Ireland: Munster Rugby and the 2008 European Rugby Cup

Objectives

Examined children’s awareness of sport sponsorship in Ireland, focussing on the 2008 European Rugby Cup win by Munster Rugby.

Methods

Following the Munster Rugby win in 2008, a cross-sectional sample of 1,175 children (7–13 years) in 11 National Schools in Ireland were asked which company sponsored “the cup that Munster won” and were then asked to name the product made by that company.

Results

Significantly higher level of awareness of the sponsor by children in Munster (69.9 %) to those outside Munster (21.5 %). No significant difference in the level of awareness of their product (alcohol) by location (inside Munster 75.9 %, outside Munster 83.6 %).

Conclusions

These findings support the view for an immediate introduction of legislation banning the sponsorship of sport.     

Conflicts of interest among scientific foundations and societies in the field of childhood nutrition

ObjectiveTo describe food-industry sponsorships of associations active in the field of childhood nutrition and obesity prevention in Spain in 2017-2018.MethodThe associations were located at https://www.google.es/ using the words “society”, “foundation” or “federation” in combination with the terms “nutrition”, “obesity”, “childhood”, “paediatrics” and “diabetes”. Sponsorship was defined as the declaration of funding received or the appearance of a food company logo on an association's website or in the programmes of its congresses or courses. The percentage of sponsored societies and its association with the existence of ethical codes was calculated using MS Excel.Results64% of the associations displayed some type of sponsorship, with this being most frequent among paediatric and nutrition societies, 83% and 80% respectively, and non-existent among public health societies. No association was found between the existence of an ethical code and sponsorship (odds ratio: 0.75; 95% confidence interval: 0.14-3.94). The leading corporate sponsors were Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Danone. Whereas the initiatives of sponsored societies were targeted at changing eating individual behaviours, those of unsponsored societies sought to promote changes in the food system and eating environments.ConclusionsFood industry sponsorship of foundations and scientific societies is very widespread in Spain, except among public health associations. Unlike sponsored associations, those unsponsored propose policies opposed by the food industry, which are aimed at improving the system and food and eating environments.     

Gambling advocacy: lessons from tobacco,alcohol and junk food

Objective: To explore the attitudes and opinions of public health experts in gambling and related unhealthy commodity industries towards the tactics used by the gambling industry to prevent reform and the advocacy responses to these tactics. Methods: In‐depth interviews (30–60 minutes) with a convenience sample of 15 public health experts and stakeholders with a public health approach to gambling (n=10), or other unhealthy commodity industries (food, alcohol, tobacco, n=5). Results: Participants described the influences of political lobbying and donations on public policy, and industry framing of problem gambling as an issue of personal responsibility. Industry funding of, and influence over, academic research was considered to be one of the most effective industry tactics to resist reform. Participants felt there was a need to build stronger coalitions and collaborations between independent academics, and to improve the utilisation of media to more effectively shift perceptions of gambling harm away from the individual and towards the product. Conclusions and implications: Gambling industry tactics are similar to the tactics of other unhealthy commodity industries. However, advocacy initiatives to counter these tactics in gambling are less developed than in other areas. The formation of national public health coalitions, as well as a strong evidence base regarding industry tactics, will help to strengthen advocacy initiatives.     

Examining opportunities for promotion of healthy eating at children's sports clubs

Objective: Australian data indicate that 63% of children participated in sport in 2009, a 4% increase since 2000. Children's high participation in sport, and the association between sport and health, means that these settings provide an opportunity to promote other aspects of health, such as healthy eating, to children. This study aimed to determine healthy eating practices and policies at children's sports clubs. Methods: Sports clubs (n=108) for the nine most popular sports for children aged 5 to 14 were randomly sampled from three large geographical areas across one state and one territory in Australia. A purpose‐designed telephone questionnaire for sports club officials was developed to determine the food and beverages sold, provided and promoted at sports clubs and the availability of healthy‐eating policies. Results: The most frequently sold item at canteens was water, followed by sports drinks, chocolate/confectionery and soft drink. Only 20% of canteens promoted healthy food. Thirty‐nine per cent of clubs made recommendations on the food and beverages to be consumed during sport, mostly relating to water consumption. The majority (76%) engaged in fundraising; many in collaboration with chocolate/confectionery companies. Only three clubs had a written policy on healthy eating. Conclusion: Addressing the low uptake of healthy eating policies would be a useful strategy to improve the healthiness of sports clubs. Implications: Policies could seek to reduce the availability and promotion of unhealthy food and beverages through canteens, vending machines and fundraising.     

The distribution of harmful product marketing in public outdoor spaces and the effectiveness of marketing bans

Children's exposure to the marketing of harmful products in public outdoor spaces may influence their consumption of those products and affect health into adulthood. This study aimed to: i) examine the spatial distribution of children's exposure to three types of marketing-related ‘harms’ (alcohol, unhealthy food, and gambling) in outdoor spaces in the Wellington region, New Zealand/Aotearoa; ii) compare differences in the distribution of harms by socioeconomic deprivation; and iii) estimate the effectiveness of different policies that ban such marketing. Data were from 122 children aged 11–13y who wore wearable cameras and GPS devices for four consecutive days from July 2014 to June 2015. Images were analysed to identify harmful product marketing exposures in public outdoor spaces. Eight policy scenarios were examined to identify the effectiveness of marketing bans, for all children and by socioeconomic deprivation. Children's ratio of harmful marketing was higher for children from high deprivation households and was also found to cluster, with hots spots observed around city centers. The effectiveness of marketing bans depended on the target setting and ban area, with banning 400 m around bus stops leading to the largest reduction. Effectiveness varied also by type of harm and socioeconomic deprivation. For example, banning alcohol marketing in residential areas was estimated to have a larger effect on exposure reduction for children from high deprivation households. Our findings suggest that alcohol, unhealthy food and gambling marketing often cluster outdoors and that targeted bans of such marketing would likely improve child health and, for some banning scenarios, promote equity.     

PUBLIC OPINION ON TOBACCO ADVERTISING,SPORTS SPONSORSHIPS AND TAXATION PRIOR TO THE VICTORIAN TOBACCO ACT, 1987

A survey of 1136 Victorian adults in June, 1987 showed high awareness of government involvement in anti-smoking campaigns and a big majority(79%) who favoured maintaining the campaigns or making them tougher. Nearly half would unconditionally approve an increase in tobacco tax of 50 cents per packet and if the revenue raised were to be hypothecated to programs such as health education, medical research and funding sport and the arts, the approval for a tobacco tax increase rose to 84 per cent. Sixty-three per cent approved a ban on cigarette advertising and 37 per cent a ban on sponsorship of sport by tobacco companies. Providing the government replaced cigarette sponsorship money with funds raised through tobacco taxes, a further 20 per cent would approve a ban on tobacco sponsorship of sport, making the total approval for the measure 57 per cent.     

Using sponsorship to create healthy environments for sport, racing and arts venues in Western Australia

The development of healthy public policy and the creation ofenvironments that support health are two of the Ottawa Charter'sgoals for health promotion action. The Western Australian HealthPromotion Foundation (referred to as ‘Healthway’)is an independent statutory body funded by a levy raised onthe wholesale sales of tobacco products. Healthway's legislativecharter defines a number of objectives for the Foundation. Theseinclude: funding activities related to the promotion of goodhealth; offering an alternative source of funds for sport, racingand arts activities previously supported by tobacco sponsorship;and supporting sport, racing and arts activities that encouragehealthy lifestyles and advance health promotion programs. Healthwayhas interpreted this charter from a health promotion perspectiveand ties the offer of sponsorship to sport, racing and artsorganisations with policies that create healthy environments.While the major focus of Healthway's healthy public policy interventionshas been the creation of smoke-free environments, importantgains have also been made in the provision of healthy food choices,safe alcohol practices, sun protection policies and access fordisadvantaged groups. This paper describes the results of asurvey of organisations funded by Healthway and explores theprevalence and reach of structural reforms in sport and culturalsettings. The development of structural reform policies amongdifferent types of organisations receiving different levelsof sponsorship is described. While not all of the structuralreforms observed in this survey can be attributed to Healthway,it is clear from the research that Healthway has contributedto the rate of policy development amongst ‘structuralreform laggards’. The implications for ‘active encouragement’of intersectoral co-operation through government sponsored grantsis discussed.     

Shared vision,shared vulnerability: A content analysis of corporate social responsibility information on tobacco industry websites

Tobacco companies rely on corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to improve their public image and advance their political objectives, which include thwarting or undermining tobacco control policies. For these reasons, implementation guidelines for the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) recommend curtailing or prohibiting tobacco industry CSR. To understand how and where major tobacco companies focus their CSR resources, we explored CSR-related content on 4 US and 4 multinational tobacco company websites in February 2014. The websites described a range of CSR-related activities, many common across all companies, and no programs were unique to a particular company. The websites mentioned CSR activities in 58 countries, representing nearly every region of the world. Tobacco companies appear to have a shared vision about what constitutes CSR, due perhaps to shared vulnerabilities. Most countries that host tobacco company CSR programs are parties to the FCTC, highlighting the need for full implementation of the treaty, and for funding to monitor CSR activity, replace industry philanthropy, and enforce existing bans.     

Work-site-based influenza vaccination in healthcare and non-healthcare settings.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand work-site-based programs for influenza vaccination. DESIGN: Self-administered, mailed questionnaire. SETTING: Healthcare and non-healthcare companies. PARTICIPANTS: Random sample of 2000 members of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses. RESULTS: The response rate was 55%, and 88% of the respondents were employed by companies sponsoring work-site influenza vaccination. Thirty-two percent of respondents worked for healthcare and healthcare-related services companies. Healthcare companies were more likely to sponsor worksite-based vaccination (94% vs 85%; P < .0001) compared with non-healthcare companies. Healthcare companies were also more likely to encourage vaccination of high-risk employees (70% vs 55%; P < .0001) and cover its cost (86% vs 61%; P < .0001). Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with highly successful vaccination. Being a healthcare-related company (OR, 2.1; CI95, 1.4-3.2; P < .0001), employers covering the vaccination cost (OR, 3.1; CI95, 1.4-6.6; P = .004), having more experience with work-site vaccination (OR, 1.6; CI95, 1.0-2.4; P = .036), and management encouraging vaccination (OR, 2.6; CI95, 1.4-4.9; P = .002) were associated with highly successful programs. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the occupational health nurses surveyed work for employers sponsoring work-site vaccination, and 32% were employed by healthcare and related services companies. Healthcare companies were more likely to sponsor worksite-based vaccination and to vaccinate most of their employees; however, only 18% had vaccination rates higher than 50%. Strategies need to be developed to increase vaccination rates so that benefits of vaccination can be realized by employers and employees.     

Attention to Food and Beverage Advertisements as Measured by Eye-Tracking Technology and the Food Preferences and Choices of Youth

The purpose of this study was to examine how objective measures of attention to food/beverage advertising were associated with the unhealthy food/beverage preferences and choices of children and adolescents. A self-report survey and eye-tracking session were completed by 102 youth (mean age=11.6 years; 56.4% were white; 43.1% were female) between April and November 2010. Participants viewed 40 food/beverage advertisements on a computer and their eye movements were recorded. Objective attention measures included total viewing time, fixation length (time spent viewing characters/logos, unhealthy food/beverage items), and fixation count (number of times an individual stops to examine characters/logos, unhealthy food/beverage items). Food/beverage preferences and choices were measured by self-report. The preferences index summed responses to 12 questions measuring snack food and sugar-sweetened beverage preferences and the choices index summed responses to eight questions measuring consumption of snack foods and sugar-sweetened beverages. Regression models examined whether attention to food/beverage advertising was associated with food preferences and choices, controlling for sex, age, and body mass index z score. The length of time and number of times participants looked at unhealthy food and beverage items within advertisements were each significantly associated with unhealthy food/beverage preferences of youth (P<0.05). Associations were no longer significant after controlling for demographic characteristics. Attention to advertising was not significantly associated with food/beverage choices. Research with larger samples is needed to more fully understand the role of attention. Future research should also examine the association between attention to advertising and purchase requests, given the important role of parents in the decision-making process surrounding food choice.     

Food Marketing to Children Online: A Content Analysis of Food Company Websites

Since 2006, many U.S. food and beverage companies have pledged to market healthier foods to children to help combat the childhood obesity epidemic. Despite this, companies’ expenditures on online advertising have increased of late. To explore this seemingly contradictory situation, the authors conducted a content analysis of approximately 100 food and beverage brand websites, examining a multitude of online marketing practices across a variety of different products, as well as the relationship between marketing techniques and the nutritional profile of promoted foods. This is the first study to examine if nutrition varied by marketing technique. Few brands maintained child-oriented websites, but the brands that did have child-oriented websites included a large number of games promoting particularly obesogenic food products. Somewhat surprisingly, games with many brand identifiers were paired with slightly less obesogenic foods. These findings present a mixed picture of the threat posed by online child-oriented food marketing.