Media exposure and parental mediation on fast-food consumption among children in metropolitan and suburban Indonesian.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Fast-food companies have been reproached for rising obesity levels due to aggressive marketing tactics targeted at children. They have countered that parents should be held responsible considering their critical role as nutritional gatekeepers. This study examined the comparative effects of media exposure and parental mediation on Indonesian children's fast food consumption and how the effects compare in the metropolitan versus suburban areas. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN The sample consisted of 394 child-mother pairs comprising grade three and four children and their mothers from two schools each in Jakarta and Bogor representing 40.9% metropolitan sample and 59.1% suburban sample, respectively. The children completed a guided inclass survey, while the mothers completed a paper-and-pen survey at home. Measures comprised children's weekly media exposure to broadcast media, computer and mobile games, print media, and online and social media, active and restrictive parental mediation strategies, children's fast food consumption and nutrition knowledge. The relationship of media exposure and parental mediation with children's fast food consumption was analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling. RESULTS Fast food consumption was positively influenced by exposure to broadcast media among metropolitan children, and by exposure to online and social media among suburban children. Active parental mediation was related to lower fast food consumption, but only for suburban children. CONCLUSIONS Active parental mediation is critical in preventing fast food consumption. The media play a key role in influencing fast food consumption, and hence, literacy education is important to alleviate the adverse effects of exposure to junk food marketing.