Kathy Chapman

Cancer Council Australia

Young adults are frequent consumers of food prepared outside the home (FOH). In a cross-sectional survey, the MYMeals study, we showed FOH provided one-third of meals and snacks for young Australian adults, yet it contributed higher proportions of energy and nutrients of concern, such as saturated fat and sodium. This study aimed to determine the d...

Purpose This study examined the association of social contexts and food preparation location with the quality of meals and snacks (predominately from the five food groups (FFG) versus discretionary foods) in a sample of young Australian adults (18–30 years old) using wearable camera technology. Methods A sub-sample from the cross-sectional MYMeals...

Young adults are the highest consumers of food prepared outside home (FOH) and gain most weight among Australian adults. One strategy to address the obesogenic food environment is menu labelling legislation whereby outlets with >20 stores in one state and >50 Australia-wide must display energy content in kJ. The aim of this study was to assess the...

Food choices determine consumers’ dietary and energy intakes, and in turn their risk of obesity and diet-related diseases. Factors affecting food choices are complex, varied, and inter-connected. The aims of this study were to assess the relative importance of four factors influencing food choices (taste, price, healthiness, and convenience) and id...

Rationale and objective Unhealthy, energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and beverages are heavily promoted through sport sponsorship. This naturalistic trial assessed whether exposing young adult spectators to various types of counter-advertising (CA) before watching an unhealthy food sponsored elite sporting event could diminish sponsorship effects an...

Background: Children are inhabitants of a media-rich environment rife in extensive, sophisticated, and persistent techniques that are used to market unhealthy food. Exposure is known to influence children's attitudes, choices, and consumption, yet further research is required to explore the influence of contemporary techniques within online games....

Children’s favourite food and beverage brands use various tactics to foster positive associations and loyalty. This brand-consumer dynamic is frequently influenced by the use of implicit techniques and emotional appeals. Few studies have used physiological methods to examine the connections that brands build with children and the influence this has...

Children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing is one factor contributing to childhood obesity. The impact of marketing on children’s weight likely occurs via a cascade pathway, through influences on children’s food brand awareness, emotional responses, purchasing and consumption. Thus, building emotional attachments to brands is a major marketing...

Background: Limitations in current Australian regulatory provisions may be identified by demonstrating the effect of different marketing methods on children's recognition and attitudes toward unhealthy food brands. Objective: To investigate how exposure to different marketing techniques from television (TV) and online food advertising affects ch...

Nutrition labelling can influence consumers’ assessments of food healthiness and their food choices. However, there is a lack of consensus about the optimal type and amount of nutrition information to provide on food packages. This study analysed consumers’ preferences for front-of-pack information relating to energy and various nutrients (sugar, s...

Objective The Food Standards Code regulates health claims on Australian food labels. General-level health claims highlight food–health relationships, e.g. ‘contains calcium for strong bones’. Food companies making claims must notify Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and certify that a systematic literature review (SLR) substantiating the...

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)...

Objective: To monitor patterns of use of e-cigarettes to understand their potential impact on the New South Wales (NSW) population in Australia. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out with a sample of adults in NSW in February 2016. Ever and past 30-day use of e-cigarettes, reasons for use, place of purchase and use within outd...

Background Policies restricting children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing have been impeded by the lack of evidence showing a direct link between food advertising exposure and children’s energy intake and body weight. Food advertising exposure increases children’s immediate food consumption, but whether this increased intake is compensated fo...

Exposure to unhealthy food marketing stimulates children's food consumption. A child's responsiveness is influenced by individual factors, resulting in an increased vulnerability to advertising effects among some children. Whether these differential responses may be altered by different parental feeding behaviours is unclear. The purpose of this st...

Objective The present study examined the energy (kilojoule) content of Australian fast-food menu items over seven years, before and after introduction of menu board labelling, to determine the impact of the introduction of the legislation. Design Analysis of the median energy contents per serving and per 100g of fast-food menu items. Change in ene...

Objectives: In this paper, we report maintenance of behavior change in a nutrition and physical activity intervention for cancer survivors at 12-months follow-up. Methods: The ENRICH (Exercise and Nutrition Routine Improving Cancer Health) program was an 8-week face-to-face program for cancer survivors and caregivers, focused on healthy eating,...

Background: Community misconception of what causes cancer is an important consideration when devising communication strategies around cancer prevention, while those initiating social marketing campaigns must decide whether to target the general population or to tailor messages for different audiences. This paper investigates the relationships betw...

Little is known about the complex combination of factors influencing the extent to which children request unhealthy foods from their parents. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive model of influencing factors to provide insight into potential methods of reducing these requests. A web panel provider was used to administer a national o...

Objective: The formation of food brand associations and attachment is fundamental to brand preferences, which influence purchases and consumption. Food promotions operate through a cascade of links, from brand recognition, to affect, and on to consumption. Frequent exposures to product promotions may establish social norms for products, reinforcin...

Background Despite increasing numbers of cancer survivors and evidence that diet and physical activity improves the health of cancer survivors, most do not meet guidelines. Some social cognitive theory (SCT)-based interventions have increased physical activity behavior, however few have used objective physical activity measures. The Exercise and Nu...

Objectives: To assess retailer compliance with a licensing scheme requiring tobacco retailers to list their business details with the government, to examine whether listed retailers are more likely to comply with a point-of-sale (POS) display ban and other in-store retailing laws and to explore variations in compliance between different retailer t...

Aim: Previous research has identified convenience, enjoyment, value for money and perceived goodness as primary dimensions of parents' attitudes to foods and beverages. The aim of the present study was to examine the factors associated with parents' scores on each of these attitudinal dimensions to identify key issues for future interventions desi...

Background: Physical activity and consuming a healthy diet have clear benefits to the physical and psychosocial health of cancer survivors, with guidelines recognising the importance of these behaviors for cancer survivors. Interventions to promote physical activity and improve dietary behaviors among cancer survivors and carers are needed. The ai...

AimWorldwide, there are concerns about the link between fast food and overall poor dietary quality and weight gain. Beverages and snack foods purchased from coffee chains may contribute excess energy and nutrients to the diet if they are consumed in addition to usual meals. The present study investigated the energy, saturated fat and sugar content...

Effective health interventions rely on a detailed understanding of the target audience’s attitudes relevant to the desired behavioural change. In the context of obesity interventions targeting parents, understanding parents’ attitudes to unhealthy foods and beverages is necessary to overcome barriers to adopting recommended behaviours. The aim of t...

This study examined the serving size and energy content per serving of Australian packaged snack foods and confectionery products. Nutrition Information Panel data for 23 sub-categories of packaged snack foods (n=3481) were extracted from The George Institute for Global Health's 2013 branded food composition database. Variations in serving size and...

Children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing is a contributor to poor diets and weight gain. Television food advertising, in particular, has been the focus of research and policy discussions. We aimed to quantify the specific impact of television advertising, as distinct from television viewing generally, on children's usual diet. Methods Four h...

Objectives: 1) Explore the availability and accessibility of fast food energy and nutrient information post-NSW menu labelling legislation in states with and without menu labelling legislation. 2) Determine whether availability and accessibility differed compared with pre-menu labelling legislation in NSW. Methods: We visited 210 outlets of the fi...

Objective: To examine the association between energy cost and energy density of fast food products. Methods: Twenty Sydney outlets of the five largest fast food chains were surveyed four times. Price and kilojoule data were collected for all limited-time-only menu items (n=54) and a sample of standard items (n=67). Energy cost ($/kilojoule) and en...

Background Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges are the primary provider of vocational education in Australia. Most TAFE students are young adults, a period when health risk behaviours become established. Furthermore, high rates of smoking, risky alcohol consumption, inadequate fruit and vegetable intake and insufficient physical activit...

Among other focus areas, interventions designed to improve children's diets need to address key factors contributing to children's consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. The present study employed structural equation modelling to investigate the relationship between a broad range of predictor variables and the frequency with which Australian chi...

We assessed the evidence for a conceptual "hierarchy of effects" of marketing, to guide understanding of the relationship between children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing and poor diets and overweight, and drive the research agenda. We reviewed studies assessing the impact of food promotions on children from MEDLINE, Web of Science, ABI Info...

Aim: To investigate the potential of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand nutrient profiling criterion to underpin restrictions on the advertising of 'unhealthy' foods to children by comparing it to other established criteria. Methods: Two weeks of food advertising from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on three Sydney television channels was categorised...

There is evidence that easily accessible, comprehensible and consistent nutrient information on the front of packaged foods could assist shoppers to make healthier food choices. This study used an online questionnaire of 4357 grocery shoppers to examine Australian shoppers' ability to use a range of front-of-pack labels to identify healthier food p...

Café foods and drinks can add a significant amount of energy, saturated fat and sodium to the diet and contribute to overweight and obesity. Mandatory energy menu labelling at the point-of-sale has been implemented in NSW café chains with more than 20 outlets in NSW or 50 outlets in Australia. This study investigated the nutrient composition of men...

Little is known about how to improve and create sustainable lifestyle behaviors of cancer survivors. Interventions based on social cognitive theory (SCT) have shown promise. This review examined the effect of SCT-based physical activity and nutrition interventions that target cancer survivors and identified factors associated with their efficacy. A...

Objective Assess the effect of counter-advertisements on parents' appraisals of unhealthy foods featuring front-of-package promotions (FOPPs). Design A 2 × 2 × 5 between-subjects Web-based experiment. Parents were randomly shown an advertisement (counter-advertisement challenging FOPP/control advertisement) and then a pair of food products from th...

Objectives: We assessed the amount, reach, and nature of energy-dense, nutrient-poor (EDNP) food and beverage marketing on Facebook. Methods: We conducted a content analysis of the marketing techniques used by the 27 most popular food and beverage brand Facebook pages in Australia. We coded content across 19 marketing categories; data were colle...

Objectives: Fruit and vegetable claims on food packages are not regulated under Australian food standards. The present study aimed to: (i) investigate the number and healthiness of products carrying fruit and vegetable claims in Australia; and (ii) compare the nutrition composition of these products with fresh fruit and/or vegetables. Design: Conte...

High levels of child obesity are triggering growing concerns about the prevalence and effects of food advertising targeted at children. Efforts to address this advertising are confounded by the expanding repertoire of media and promotional techniques used to reach and attract children. The present study explored parents’ views on food marketing and...

AimTo investigate the potential of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand nutrient profiling criterion to underpin restrictions on the advertising of ‘unhealthy’ foods to children by comparing it to other established criteria.Methods Two weeks of food advertising from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on three Sydney television channels was categorised as p...

Fruit and vegetable marketing claims on food packages are not regulated under the Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code, therefore there are no restrictions on their use. This study aimed to: 1) investigate the number and healthiness of products carrying fruit and vegetable content claims in Australia; and 2) compare the nutrition composition...

Fast food is often nutritionally poor, and Australian’s consumption of fast foods is increasing. Frequent consumption of fast food is linked with poorer diets and weight gain. Parents are an important influence on children’s diets, however little is known about their impact on the nutritional value of children’s fast food meals. This study aimed to...

This study aims to review the literature regarding the barriers to sampling, recruitment, participation, and retention of members of socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in health research and strategies for increasing the amount of health research conducted with socially disadvantaged groups. A systematic review with narrative synthesis was cond...

AimThe aim of this study was to update knowledge about children's exposure to televised food advertising in Australia, providing a more comprehensive examination of children's exposure since the introduction of self-regulatory codes.Methods Two months of food advertisement data from four free-to-air television stations (SBS, Seven Network, Nine Net...

This study aimed to test whether counter-advertisements (i.e. messages contesting industry marketing) make pre-adolescent children less susceptible to the influence of food promotions. Since children have lower media literacy levels due to their immature cognitive abilities, specific research questions explored were: (1) whether the effectiveness o...

Objectives: Labelling of food from fast food restaurants at point-of-purchase has been suggested as one strategy to reduce population energy consumption and contribute to reductions in obesity prevalence. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of energy and single traffic light labelling systems on the energy content of child and adult i...

AimThe present study aimed to: (i) document the role of parents in children's fast food meal selection; (ii) determine whether parental demographics, weight status or fast food consumption frequency were associated with who selects children's fast food meals; and (iii) determine whether the total energy content of children's meals selected from a h...

Objective: This study investigated the differences between the amount of shade covering typical activity areas in playgrounds of higher and lower socioeconomic status (SES) areas within metropolitan Sydney, Australia. Methods: Using an established audit tool, surveyors visited 139 urban playgrounds and made 1,033 shade observations recording the...

Since price is both a key determinant of smoking and one of the few remaining marketing strategies available in countries without point-of-sale tobacco display, this study examines cigarette price variations in the Australian market and assesses whether those variations are consistent with price being used to increase or maintain smoking among pric...

There is evidence that easily accessible, comprehensible and consistent nutrient information on the front of packaged foods could assist shoppers to make healthier food choices. This study used an online questionnaire of 4357 grocery shoppers to examine Australian shoppers' ability to use a range of front-of-pack labels to identify healthier food p...

Issues addressed: The aim of the present study was to describe food advertising and expenditure on Australian television, and to conduct an audit to assess what proportion of food and beverage television advertisements was consistent with dietary recommendations. Methods: Data were acquired from a national media monitoring company for advertisem...

To determine if localised programmes that are successful in engaging the community can add value to larger fruit and vegetable mass-media campaigns by evaluating the results of the Eat It To Beat It programme. The Eat It To Beat It programme is a multi-strategy intervention that uses community-based education and 'below the line' social marketing t...

Objective: The current study examined the impact of television and Internet food advertising on Australian parents and children. Design: Parents and their children aged 8 to 14 years were exposed to a television advertisement, an Internet advertisement or a control picture for four commonly advertised energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods. Setting:...

Objectives: To assess pre-adolescent children's responses to common child-oriented front-of-pack food promotions. Methods: Between-subjects, web-based experiment with four front-of-pack promotion conditions on energy-dense and nutrient-poor (EDNP) foods: no promotion [control]; nutrient content claims; sports celebrity endorsements (male athlete...

Objective: To investigate nutrition literacy among adult grocery buyers regarding energy-related labelling terms on food packaging. Design: Qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys to determine shoppers' understanding of energy terms ('energy', 'calories' and 'kilojoules') and how energy terms affect perceptions of healthiness and intenti...

Objectives: Children's high participation in organised sport in Australia makes sport an ideal setting for health promotion. This study aimed to generate consensus on priority health promotion objectives for community sports clubs, based on informed expert judgements. Design: Delphi survey using three structured questionnaires. Methods: Forty-...

Objective: Proposed Australian regulation of claims on food labels includes requirements for products carrying a health claim to meet nutrient profiling criteria. This would not apply to nutrition content claims. The present study investigated the number and healthiness of products carrying claims and the impact of the proposed regulation. Design...

Issue addressed: High smoking rates among the disadvantaged lead to inequalities in health, quality-of-life and financial well-being. Non-government social and community service organisations (SCSO) are a promising setting for tobacco control interventions targeting disadvantaged smokers. Methods: Financial grants were provided to twenty SCSO in...

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of children's food requests, and parents' experiences of food marketing directed towards children, in the supermarket environment. A mixed-method design was used. Firstly, intercept interviews were conducted with parents accompanied by a child/children on exiting supermarkets (sampled from a...

Background The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian co-regulatory system in limiting children’s exposure to unhealthy television food advertising by measuring compliance with mandatory and voluntary regulations. An audit was conducted on food and beverage television advertisements broadcast in five major Austral...

Objective: To provide an independent monitoring report examining the ongoing impact of Australian self-regulatory pledges on food and drink advertising to children on commercial television. Design: Analysis of food advertisements across comparable sample time periods in April/May 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. The main outcome measure comprise...

There is evidence that easily accessible, comprehensible and consistent nutrient information on the front of packaged foods could assist shoppers to make healthier food choices. This study used an online questionnaire of 4357 grocery shoppers to examine Australian shoppers' ability to use a range of front-of-pack labels to identify healthier food p...

As part of proposed food labelling regulation, Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) developed the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criteria (NPSC) to determine whether a product is healthy enough to carry health claims. Public health and consumer groups argue that nutrient profiling should also be applied to nutrition content claims (e.g....

To investigate consumers' understanding of terms commonly used to provide guidance about frequency and quantity of food consumption. A survey of 405 shoppers explored how frequently consumers thought food labeled with the terms "eat often," "eat moderately," "eat occasionally," "a sometimes food," and "an extra food" should be eaten. In a separate...

Objective: To determine parents' and children's attitudes towards food, beverage and alcohol sponsorship of elite and children's sports and the acceptability of policies and alternative funding models to limit this sponsorship. Design: Telephone surveys were conducted with parents in February-May 2011. One child from each household was invited t...

The ability of food advertising to trigger food consumption and influence social norms relating to food consumption has resulted in increasing attention being given to the prevalence and nature of food advertising. The present study investigated the use of negative themes in food advertisements aired on Australian television to determine the preval...

Some fast food chains have introduced healthier options, however sales data for these menu items are not publicly available. This study aimed to observe healthy and unhealthy meal purchases in Australian fast food stores. An observational study was conducted comparing the purchases of healthy and unhealthy meals at 20 McDonald's stores in a variety...

Introduction and Aims. Current alcohol guidelines in Australia recommend minimising alcohol consumption, especially among minors. This study investigated (i) the extent to which children and the general population are exposed to television advertisements that endorse alcohol consumption and (ii) the themes used in these advertisements. Design and M...

Sponsorship is recognised as a significant marketing tool and restricting unhealthy food sponsorship of children's sport has been recommended by leading health agencies as a contribution towards preventing childhood obesity. This study aimed to determine the junior sporting community's support for policy interventions to restrict unhealthy food spo...

The objective of the present research was to test the efficacy of Fruit & Veg $ense sessions in increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. A wait-list randomised controlled trial was conducted (n 292). Intervention participants attended a Fruit & Veg $ense session and received newsletters at weeks 2 and 5 after attending the session. All participa...

The present study examined associations between food marketing exposure and adolescents' food choices and reported consumption of energy-dense and nutrient-poor (EDNP) foods. A cross-sectional survey of 12,188 Australian secondary students aged 12-17 years was conducted, using a web-based self-report questionnaire. Measures included students' level...

The impact of children's fast food meals on their daily nutritional requirements has not been assessed in Australia. Analysis of the nutritional composition of children's meals from six fast food chains was conducted. The energy, saturated fat, sugar and sodium content of all children's meals from the chains were assessed against the fast food indu...

Nutrition information at the point-of-sale assists consumers to make informed fast food choices. This study provides a baseline measure of the availability and accessibility of nutrition information in fast food outlets in Australia, filling a gap in the literature. An in-store observational survey was conducted in 222 outlets of five fast food cha...

Children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing influences their food knowledge, preferences and consumption. Sport sponsorship by food companies is widespread and industry investment in this marketing is increasing. This study aimed to assess children's awareness of sport sponsors and their brand-related attitudes and purchasing intentions in resp...

To determine the extent to which (1) promotional characters are used on food packaging for healthful and less-healthful food and (2) different companies use this persuasive marketing strategy. Cross-sectional supermarket audit of all food and beverages featuring promotional characters on the packaging. Three Australian supermarket chains. Frequency...

To assess the impact of the quick-service restaurant industry (QSRI) self-regulatory initiative on fast-food advertising to children on Australian commercial television. Analysis of advertisements for foods on the three main free-to-air commercial television channels (channels 7, 9 and 10) in Sydney, Australia, over 4 days in both May 2009 and Apri...

This study evaluated the impact of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) self-regulatory initiative on unhealthy food marketing to children, introduced in January 2009. The study compared patterns of food advertising by AFGC and non-AFGC signatory companies in 2009, 2007 and 2006 on three Sydney commercial free-to-air television channels....

The Exercise and Nutrition Routine Improving Cancer Health (ENRICH) study is investigating a novel lifestyle intervention aimed at improving the health behaviors of adult cancer survivors and their carers. The main purpose of the study is to determine the efficacy of lifestyle education and skill development delivered via group-based sessions on th...

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether fruit and vegetables should be treated as separate groups in health promotion programmes by examining consumption levels, barriers, knowledge and the association between stage of change and potential predictors of fruit and vegetable intake. Computer-assisted telephone interview survey of the...

The issue of marketing unhealthy food to children and its contribution to childhood obesity has become a highly politicised debate in Australia. The aim of this study was to compare recent television food advertising patterns in 2008 to previously published Australian research on television advertising from 2006 and 2007, to examine any changes fol...

Organised sport provides an important setting for health promotion. Peak sporting organisations have a role in assisting and overseeing sports clubs, including providing funding opportunities. As such, sponsorship of these organisations may influence the funding of community sport. This study aimed to describe the nature and scope of peak sporting...

To assess parents' responses to common, potentially misleading strategies for marketing energy-dense and nutrient-poor (EDNP) child-oriented foods. Between-subjects online experiment to test whether nutrient claims and sports celebrity endorsements on the front of packs of EDNP products lead parents to prefer and rate these foods more favourably. A...