Table 1.
Descriptive table of experimental studies.
| Author, Year, Country | Participants | Design | Advertising Intervention | Comparison | Outcome | Relevant Results | Risk of Bias |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boyland [20], 2013, UK |
N = 181 Age range = 8–11 Mean age = 10.3 |
Experimental (school), between-subject, allocation not specified | 20 min cartoon with 45 s TV advert for HFSS product (Walker’s crisps) with sports celebrity endorser (Gary Lineker) | 20 min cartoon with 45 s non-food advert; food advert with no endorser; or TV footage of endorser | Post-intervention, ad libitum consumption of potato crisps, labeled branded, and non-branded (grams) |
Celebrity endorsed TV food adverts significantly increased intake of food, compared to food advert with no endorser and non-food advert. | Some concerns |
| Coates [52], 2019, UK EoI |
N = 151 Age range = 9–11 Mean age = 10 |
Experimental (school), between-subject, random assignment | 5 min YouTube video with 1 min influencer marketing (Zoella and PointlessBlog) segment of branded HFSS product (McVitie’s chocolate biscuits), with and without disclosure | 5 min YouTube video with 1 min influencer marketing segment of branded non-food product (Apple iPhone) | Post-intervention, ad libitum consumption of cookies (kcal), labeled, branded, and non-branded, 5 min | Influencer endorsed HFSS advert significantly increased intake of promoted food, compared to non-food advert | Low |
| Coates [53], 2019, UK SMI |
N = 176 Age range = 9–11 Mean age = 10.5 |
Experimental (school), between-subject, random assignment | 1 min viewing of mock Instagram profile of popular YouTube influencers (not stated due to copyright) with marketing of HFSS product (unbranded chocolate biscuits) | 1 min viewing of mock Instagram with image of YouTube influencer marketing healthy product (banana) or non-food (sneakers) | Post-intervention, ad libitum consumption of unbranded HFSS products HFSS (candy, chocolate) and healthy (carrot, grapes) products (kcal), 10 min | Intake of HFSS products and overall snacks significantly increased following exposure to celebrity endorsement of HFSS products, compared to non-food condition. | Low |
| De Jans [54], 2021, Belgium |
N = 190 Age range = 8–12 Mean age = 10.04 |
Experimental (classroom), between-subject, random | Instagram post of influencer (fictitious) promotion of HFSS snack (unbranded donuts) (either sedentary lifestyle versus athletic lifestyle) | Instagram post of influencer promotion of snack high in nutritional value (strawberries) (both (influencer lifestyle: sedentary versus athletic) | Snack choice between mini donut or a strawberry. | Children exposed to influencer promotion of the donut, chose the donut 52.2% (47/90) compared to 49.5% exposed to influencer promotion of non-HFSS product. Significance not tested. | Low |
| Dixon [55], 2014, Australia |
N = 1302 Age range = 10–12 Mean age = 11 |
Experimental (online school), between-subject, random assignment | Packaging of HFSS products (cereal, cheese dips, chicken nuggets, ice cream, flavored milk, brands not stated) with sports celebrity endorsement (popular Australian male athletes, names not stated) | Packaging of same HFSS products with no celebrity endorsement (no promotion) | During-intervention, forced choice of randomly allocated HFSS exposure or comparable healthier food pack, on a computer | Celebrity endorsed HFSS products were significantly more likely to be chosen compared to control, in boys only. No significant difference in girls. | Low |
| Jain [56], 2011, India |
N = 378 Age range = 13–17 Mean age = not stated |
Experimental (school), between-subject, allocation not specified | 5–10 min viewing of print advertisement of HFSS product (unbranded chocolate) with celebrity endorsement (Hindi actor, Aamir Khan) | 5–10 min viewing of print adverts of HFSS product with no endorsement | Post-intervention, purchase intention product (scale NS) | Purchase intentions of HFSS product endorsed by a celebrity were significantly greater compared to control or character-endorsed HFSS product. | Some concerns |
| Ponce-Blandon [57], 2020, Spain |
N = 421 Age range = 4–6 Mean age = 4.8 |
Experimental (education centers), between-subject, random assignment | 8 min episode of cartoon (Caillou) with an advert for HFSS product (Príncipe Double Choc chocolate cookies) with sports celebrity (famous Spanish soccer player, name not stated) | No advert control and non-food advert control | Preference choice between advertised product (Príncipe Double Choc chocolate cookies) vs. similar non advertised product (Tosta Rica Chocoguay, Cuétara chocolate cream filled cookies) | Preference for the advertised product was not significantly different between the conditions. | Low |