• by Erik Sass , November 8, 2010

U.S. youth is being targeted by more fast-food marketing than ever before, according to a new study from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. The study, titled "Fast Food Facts," tracked marketing efforts by 12 of the nation's largest fast-food chains, including McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's.

It also examined the calories, fat, sugar and sodium in more than 3,000 kids' meal combos and 2,781 menu items. On the marketing and advertising front, the study found that national fast-food brands are stepping up spending in an effort to hook young consumers, sometimes targeting children as young as two.

Overall spending on fast-food marketing and advertising rose from 2% from $4.1 billion in 2008 to $4.2 billion in 2009, according to figures from Nielsen, cited in the Rudd Center report. From 2007-2009, the number of fast-food ads that preschool-age children see on TV increased 21%, while the figure increased 34% for older children.

Over the same period, preschoolers saw 21% more ads for McDonald's, 9% more for Burger King and 56% more for Subway. The average preschooler now sees almost three fast-food ads per day, while kids ages 6-11 see 3.5 ads per day and teens ages 12-17 see just under five ads per day.

All this advertising appears to be quite effective: 40% of children ages 2-11 ask their parents to go to McDonald's at least once a week, according to the study, with 15% of preschoolers asking to go every day.

As a result, 84% of parents said they take their child ages 2-11 to get fast food at least once a week. There is also a halo effect from advertising (ostensibly) targeting adults: 60% of fast-food ads are for items not included in kids' meals. Meaning: 27% of kids ages 6-11 order items from the adult menus, compared to 21% who order a kids' meal.

Fast-food restaurants also tend to default to unhealthy (but popular) menu options, like French fries in children's meals. The Rudd Center study notes that while McDonald's and Burger King show only healthy sides and beverages in ads targeting kids, the restaurants automatically serve French fries with kids' meals at least 86% of the time, and soft drinks at least 55% of the time.

There is also a racial disparity in fast-food advertising, with African-American children and teens seeing 50% more fast-food ads than white youth. Further, ads seen by African-American children depict meals containing almost twice as many calories as ads seen by white children.

Hispanic preschoolers see 290 Spanish-language fast-food TV ads per year; McDonald's is responsible for one-quarter of the Spanish-language advertising seen by young people.