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<\/div>\nIf you\u2019re surrounded by ice coffee ads, you\u2019re probably in a poorer suburb. Real coffee on the other hand … well, you could be well off.<\/span> Source:<\/em> News Corp Australia<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n EVER wondered whether your suburb is well-off or disadvantaged? There\u2019s a simple test you can use to find the answer as you head home from work this evening.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Just check out the food advertisements around your train station or bus stop.<\/p>\n If the ads encourage you to drink diet soft drink, tea or coffee, you reside in an area considered pretty plush.<\/p>\n But if a lot of ads push fast food restaurants, flavoured milk and fruit juice, there is a fair chance you can mark your suburb as \u201cdisadvantaged\u201d.<\/p>\n These are the findings from research by Philippa J. Settle, Adrian J. Cameron and Lukar E. Thornton of Deakin University.<\/p>\n Their investigation of ads aimed at commuters in 20 Melbourne suburbs is published in the October issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.<\/p>\n \u201cThis exploration of outdoor food advertising at Melbourne transit stops found 30 per cent displayed food advertisements, with those in more disadvantaged suburbs more frequently promoting chain-brand fast food and less frequently promoting diet varieties of soft drinks,\u201d concluded the researchers.<\/p>\n \u201cThese findings may help raise awareness of unhealthy environmental exposures.\u201d<\/p>\n The study reinforces the proposition there is a distinct difference in food eaten in various social-economic communities. And the lower the income, the higher the likelihood that unhealthy fast food will be promoted.<\/p>\n Kooyong station volunteer gardeners John Dale and Charlie Baxter were disappointed when new billboards were installed at Kooyong Station in Melbourne.<\/span> Source:<\/em> News Limited<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The researchers contend advertising influences the type of food we eat and that overseas studies have found that unhealthy foods are most likely to appear in these advertisements.<\/p>\n \u201cThis being the case, advertising is likely to have played a role in the current obesity epidemic,\u201d write the researchers in their paper.<\/p>\n \u201cFurthermore, targeted advertising of unhealthy foods may entrench and even increase existing socio-economic inequalities in the prevalence of obesity.\u201d<\/p>\n So some advertising doesn\u2019t just make you fat, it can keep you overweight.<\/p>\n Previous studies found ads at Sydney rail stations commonly advertised unhealthy snacks \u2014 although water was the most common beverage \u2014 while a Perth study found 23 per cent of commuter stops audited had ads for alcohol.<\/p>\n The Melbourne study is the first to cover all types of commuter public transport and to make socio-economic conclusions.<\/p>\n A total of 233 food advertisements were identified at the 558 public transit stops audited across the 20 sampled suburbs, the study reports.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re seeing ads such as this at your local bus stop, you probably live in an affluent area. Picture: AP\/PepsiCo<\/span>Source:<\/em> AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Least-disadvantaged suburbs had a higher mean number of advertisements per suburb compared to the most-disadvantaged suburbs, although this difference was not statistically significant.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s not just a matter of where you live which decides the exposure to food ads. It also depends on how you commute.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 however, differences were observed by the type of stop. A higher proportion of train stations in the least-disadvantaged suburbs had at least one advertisement present (86 per cent v 42 per cent). Conversely, fewer tram shelters in the least-disadvantaged areas featured food (32 per cent v 50 per cent),\u201d says the research.<\/p>\n \u201cThe proportion of bus stop shelters with food advertisements was similar in the least- and most-disadvantaged suburbs (22 per cent and 25 per cent).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" http:\/\/www.news.com.au\/finance\/work\/how-suburban-commuters-are-coaxed-into-unhealthy-eating-habits\/story-fnkgbb6w-1227089160388 How suburban commuters are coaxed into unhealthy eating habits 3 DAYS AGO OCTOBER 13, 2014 5:33PM If you\u2019re surrounded by ice coffee ads, you\u2019re probably in a poorer suburb. Real coffee on the other hand … well, you could be well off. Source: News Corp Australia EVER wondered whether your suburb is well-off … Continue reading Advertising tells you how affluent your suburb is…<\/span> ![\"Kooyong](\"http:\/\/resources2.news.com.au\/images\/2014\/10\/13\/1227089\/160334-5f0667e4-527a-11e4-a40d-833ddda6a9b8.jpg\")
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