ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To document the evidence about marketing of ultra-processed foods and “non-alcoholic” beverages in Latin America. METHODS We performed a structured search of quantitative and qualitative studies in PubMed, SciELO and LILACS, published between January 2000 and May 2017 and conducted in Latin America. We conducted a quality assessment following a standardized tool and a thematic analysis to identify key typologies of marketing across studies RESULTS Out of 521 studies screened by title and abstract, we included 36 in this review; 27 of them analyzed television advertisement. Other marketing channels studied were food packaging, point of sale and outdoor advertisement. Studies found television advertises foods and beverages that are mostly ultraprocessed foods and have low nutritional value, particularly those promoted during children’s programming. We also observed children have a literal interpretation of images printed on food packaging, so this can be deceiving. Several studies also found proximity to unhealthy foods may increase their consumption. Finally, the thematic analysis identified the following typologies of food marketing: a) television advertisement, b) food packaging marketing, c) marketing strategies at points of sale and d) other marketing strategies. We found almost no advertisements for unprocessed or minimally processed foods such as fruits and vegetables. We did not find any studies on digital marketing conducted in the region. CONCLUSIONS This review found that the main channel of food marketing was television advertising. This synthesis provides insights to the challenges unhealthy eating represents to the public health of Latin America and identifies knowledge gaps to guide future research.

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To document the evidence about marketing of ultra-processed foods and “non-alcoholic” beverages in Latin America. METHODS We performed a structured search of quantitative and qualitative studies in PubMed, SciELO and LILACS, published between January 2000 and May 2017 and conducted in Latin America. We conducted a quality assessment following a standardized tool and a thematic analysis to identify key typologies of marketing across studies RESULTS Out of 521 studies screened by title and abstract, we included 36 in this review; 27 of them analyzed television advertisement. Other marketing channels studied were food packaging, point of sale and outdoor advertisement. Studies found television advertises foods and beverages that are mostly ultraprocessed foods and have low nutritional value, particularly those promoted during children’s programming. We also observed children have a literal interpretation of images printed on food packaging, so this can be deceiving. Several studies also found proximity to unhealthy foods may increase their consumption. Finally, the thematic analysis identified the following typologies of food marketing: a) television advertisement, b) food packaging marketing, c) marketing strategies at points of sale and d) other marketing strategies. We found almost no advertisements for unprocessed or minimally processed foods such as fruits and vegetables. We did not find any studies on digital marketing conducted in the region. CONCLUSIONS This review found that the main channel of food marketing was television advertising. This synthesis provides insights to the challenges unhealthy eating represents to the public health of Latin America and identifies knowledge gaps to guide future research.

El periodista ciudadano puede participar en los sitios web de noticias políticas generados por el usuario de diferentes maneras, tales como el suministro de contenido, discutir con otros usuarios, y la calificación del contenido publicado en el sitio. Además, los usuarios de estos tipos de sitios forman impresiones de otros usuarios en base a la información proporcionada por diferentes fuentes. La información suministrada por los sistemas de clasificación, por ejemplo, constituye una fuente de información que da señales sobre ciertas características de otros. Sin embargo, los sistemas de clasificación de los sitios web de noticias generados por el usuario suelen evaluar la participación de los mismos sin distinguir entre los tipos de participación. Teniendo en cuenta el origen de la información transmitida por las señales y la dimensión comunal evaluada en el proceso de formación de impresiones, este estudio examina cómo un conjunto de diferentes opciones de diseño para un sistema de clasificación puede influir en las impresiones de los usuarios sobre la credibilidad de los ponentes, el carácter informativo de la discusión, y la voluntad de contribuir a los debates en los sitios web de noticias políticas generados por el usuario. Los resultados de este estudio apoyan parcialmente la idea de que la información comunal de terceros tiene más importancia cuando las impresiones se forman en estos entornos en línea, aunque se necesita más investigación para identificar la relación revelar entre los sistemas de clasificación y las características comunales de los usuarios.

Citizen journalists can participate in political user-generated news websites in différent ways, including providing content, discussing with other users, and rating the content posted on the site. Also, users of these types of sites form impressions of other users based on the information provided by different sources. The information supplied by rating systems, for example, constitutes a source of information that cues certain characteristics about others. However, user-generated news websites' rating systems usually evaluate users' participation without distinguishing between types of participation. Taking into account the origin of the information carried by the cues and the communal dimension evaluated in the process of impression formation, this study examines how a set of different rating system design options might influence users' impressions of the credibility of discussants, discussion informativeness, and willingness to contribute to discussions on political user-generated news websites. The results of this study partially support the idea that communal third-party information has more importance when impressions are formed in these online settings, although further research is needed to establish the connection between rating systems and the communal characteristics of users.

O jornalista cidadão pode participar dos sites de noticias políticas gerados pelo usuário de diferentes maneiras: fornecendo conteúdo, discutindo com os outros usuários e qualificando o conteúdo publicado no site. Além disso, os usuários desse tipo de site formam impressões de outros usuários com base na informação proporcionada por diferentes fontes. A informação fornecida pelos sistemas de classificação, por exemplo, constitui uma fonte de informação que dá sinais sobre certas características de outros. Contudo, os sistemas de classificação dos sites de notícias gerados pelo usuário costumam avaliar a participação. Ao considerar a origem da informação transmitida pelos sinais e pela dimensão comunal avaliada no processo de formação de impressões, este estudo examina como um conjunto de diferentes opções de desenho para um sistema de classificação pode influenciar nas impressões dos usuários sobre a credibilidade dos informantes, o caráter informativo da discussão e a vontade de contribuir para os debates nos sites de notícias gerados pelo usuário. Os resultados deste estudo apoiam parcialmente a ideia de que a informação comunal de terceiros tem mais importância quando as impressões se formam nesses ambientes on-line, embora se precise de mais pesquisa para identificar a relação entre os sistemas de classificação e as características comunais dos usuários.