Exposure and approval of food marketing strategies: A mixed methods study among household food providers in Jakarta

Introduction: Food marketing influences consumers' food choices leading to unplanned food purchasing. Methods: This study used a mixed methods approach to investigate the association between food marketing exposure and approval of food marketing strategies among household food providers in Jakarta. Responses from 279 survey participants to questions on exposure and their approval of marketing strategies were analysed. An additional 16 informants who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited for the in-depth interview. Logistic regression was conducted to assess the relationship between the categorical predictor variable ("exposure to active or passive marketing") and the categorical outcome variable ("approval response to food marketing strategies"). Results: Almost half of the respondents reported not having exposure to active marketing in the past month, whereas approximately one-third had experienced such exposure 1-2 times. Most of the respondents disapproved the marketing of fast foods and sugar-sweetened foods. The highest disapproval was for the placement of vending machines carrying such foods in schools (69.9%). Respondents who were exposed to active marketing at least once in the previous month were 1.99 times more likely (AOR; 95% CI: 1.07-3.73) to approve the marketing of unhealthy foods. Conclusion: Exposure to food marketing promotion appeared to influence approval of marketing strategies among household food providers in Jakarta. In-depth interviews provided supportive evidence for the quantitative results. A mixed methods approach is suggested for larger studies to confirm these findings.