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Sports Sponsorship as a Cause of Obesity

  • The Obesity Epidemic: Causes and Consequences (A Cameron and K Backholer, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This article investigates the role of food and beverage sponsorship of sports in influencing dietary behaviour, and ultimately obesity, focusing on research published in the past 5 years. A systematic strategy was used to search the health science, social science and marketing databases to identify peer-reviewed literature on food and non-alcoholic beverage company sponsorship of sport published in English from 2015 to 2019.

Recent Findings

Sixteen discrete studies were identified: six content analyses, two qualitative studies, four cross-sectional surveys and four experimental studies. Findings indicate sports sponsorship is widely used to promote unhealthy foods through professional and community sport, prompting increased awareness and preference for sponsor products. Most studies assessed self-reported responses to sponsorship, with a lack of behavioural data on food purchasing and consumption.

Summary

Sports sponsorship by unhealthy food brands achieves vast population reach and exposure, promoting increased brand awareness and preference for sponsor products. Research is needed to improve our understanding of the relationship between food and beverage sponsorship and energy intake. Research evaluating the efficacy of strategies to reduce spectator’s exposure to unhealthy sports sponsorship is also needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Helen Dixon, Angelyna Lee & Maree Scully

  2. Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

    Helen Dixon

  3. School of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Australia

    Helen Dixon

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  1. Helen Dixon
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Correspondence to Helen Dixon.

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Helen Dixon, Angelyna Lee and Maree Scully declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on The Obesity Epidemic: Causes and Consequences

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Dixon, H., Lee, A. & Scully, M. Sports Sponsorship as a Cause of Obesity. Curr Obes Rep 8, 480–494 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-019-00363-z

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