Sodas, sweets and fast food are the most common choices when pop music stars endorse foods and beverages, says a study by New York University researchers, who blame the advertisements for contributing to teen obesity. “The vast majority of the food and beverage products … are unhealthy,” says the NYU Langone Medical Center.
“Equally alarming, none of the music stars identified in the study endorsed fruits, vegetables or whole grains,” the center said.
Pop icons Katy Perry, Maroon 5 and One Direction have all endorsed snack food or soda company products, as have country music stars. Entertainment spots on YouTube have highlighted the ads too.
One celebrity endorsed a natural food, pistachios, deemed to be healthy, say the researchers, whose work was published in Pediatrics. Dr. Marie Bragg, lead author of the study, said food companies, who voluntarily limit ads targeted at children, “should expand to include teens.”
One in five adolescents, ages 12-19, is obese and overall, one in three children is overweight or obese, says the CDC. Obese children and adults are at greater risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
“Celebrities should be aware that their endorsements could exacerbate society’s struggle with obesity — and they should endorse healthy products instead,” said co-author Alysa Miller.
The NYU study analyzed the nutritional value of food and drinks marketed by music stars from 2000-14, based on Billboard Magazine’s “Hot 100” song ratings in 2013 and 2014, lists of Teen Choice award winners and the number of YouTube viewings associated with the endorsements. NYU said it was the most rigorous study yet of the subject. Twenty-one of the 26 food products rated as “nutrient poor” and 49 of 69 beverages were sugar-sweetened, with full-calorie sodas being the most common in the category.
Food companies spend $2 billion a year on youth-targeted ads, say the researchers, citing an Institute of Medicine study. The NYU study sort pop star endorsements into categories. The most common endorsement, 26 percent of the total, went to consumer goods, followed by food and beverages at 18 percent.