Television advertising and food demand of children in Sri Lanka: a case study from Galle District

Abstract

The main objective of the study is to seek the relationship between food demand and television advertising focusing on children in Sri Lanka. The study used primary data with 100 children in-between the age of 9-14 representing Sangamiththa Girls School and Olsent boys‟ school in Galle. Four stage sampling method was used by the study. In the first stage stratified cluster sampling was used to select two schools from five main girls‟ schools and five main boys‟ schools in Galle randomly by using lotteries method. In the second stage stratified random sample was selected representing the students in the classes from year 4 to year 9 cluster representing 25% of each class in both schools. At the final step systematic random sampling was used to select students with the gap of 4 students. Two questionnaires were provided for students and their parents to collect data. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression model were used for the analyzing. The dependent variables were used as expenditure on additional food items while using different socio economic demographic characteristics of children and their parents as explanatory variables. The Study found that a positive relationship of television advertising on food demand. Residential sector, gender of the child, age , employment of parents, length of time of watching television, influence of friends, the mode of traveling to school , specific brand choices, using popular persons for the advertisements, giving attractive items with the product, giving sponsorships for children‟ events are identified as some significant factors determining the food demand of the children. Some possible policy implications suggested for the family, schools, advertising agencies, media and for the government, have been initiated as the final contribution of the study.