Introduction
weight gain
RECRUITMENT
Unhealthy food advertisements (“advertisements” hereafter referred to as “ads”) are one environmental factor that contributes to excessive weight gain and poor diet in Black youth [Food ads targeting Black youth (hereafter referred to as “racially-targeted food ads”) are often embedded with cultural features intended to appeal to Black individuals. These ads may feature Black actors (e.g., spokespersons for Popeyes), celebrities (e.g., Beyoncé, LeBron James), music, or other activities (e.g., basketball) perceived to align with Black cultural preferences or values [Food-related attentional bias (ABs) is one underlying mechanism potentially driving the effect of food ads on attitudes, preferences, and consumption. Food-related ABs refer to distinct, yet related processes of selectively attending or over-attending to food cues in ones’ environment [Studies elucidating the potential link between food ads and food-related ABs on energy consumption have primarily examined adults and are based on self-report [To address the research gaps, the primary aims of this pilot study were: 1) to assess feasibility of the recruitment and study protocol to assess the intersection of racially-targeted foods ads and food-related ABs, 2) examine initial effects of racially-targeted food ads on energy intake, and 3) examine initial effects of food-related ABs on energy intake in a sample of Black adolescent females. Our primary hypotheses were that: 1) the study would be feasible, 2) exposure to racially-targeted food ads would be associated with higher energy intake, 3) exhibiting high food-related ABs would be associated with higher energy intake, and 4) there would be an interaction such that exposure to racially-targeted food ads and high food-related ABs would lead to the highest energy intake.