Mapping the hidden influence of outdoor advertising on our food choices

Recent data from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) reveal a troubling reality: nearly one in ten Reception-aged children and more than one in five Year 6 children are living with obesity. The gap is even wider in the most deprived areas, where children are more than twice as likely to be affected. Behind these statistics are real children, families, and communities – each shaped by an environment that makes healthy choices harder than they should be. 

But what has this got to do with advertising? With a staggering £400 million estimated to be poured into outdoor ads in 2024 alone, it’s everywhere. It shapes what we buy, what we eat, and even how we see ourselves, often without our conscious awareness. Children are particularly vulnerable. Bright colours, familiar characters, and playful messaging catch their attention and influence their preferences long before children realise they are being marketed to, making them highly susceptible to promotions for foods high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS). 

A new perspective in West Yorkshire 

Whilst much of what children and families see outdoors is in plain sight, the advertising data remains hidden, locked behind paywalls and private databases. In 2023, the Mapping Advertising Assets Project (MAAP) set out to change that by asking a vital question: what are people exposed to on the streets of Leeds, and what does this mean for public health? Delivered by the Healthy and Sustainable Places Data Service at the University of Leeds, in partnership with Leeds City Council and the charity Sustain, MAAP brought this hidden influence into view. 

My role in the project was hands-on. I helped design a study comparing neighbourhoods across five deprivation levels to explore inequalities in advertising exposure. On the ground, this meant clocking up to 40,000 steps on busy days, photographing every advert I encountered. Back at the desk, each image was coded using the UK Nutrient Profile Model, categorising items as “healthier” or “less healthy.”  

This evidence was transformed into an interactive online dashboard, now publicly available through the Healthy and Sustainable Places Data Service, it allows councils, researchers, and communities to explore and understand local advertising landscapes. 

Key findings 

Across 30 neighbourhoods, including six priority wards, MAAP identified 437 adverts. More than half of all food adverts promoted HFSS products. Bus stops were the most common advertising site for food products – and at digital ones, up to ten adverts could flash by in rotation at once. On a single journey, just glancing out the window could expose residents to an overwhelming flood of persuasive messages, each one subtly shaping what people are going to eat next. 

As other studies have revealed, the most deprived neighbourhoods were saturated with adverts. These are the same communities already struggling with the highest rates of food-related ill health, yet they’re the ones most relentlessly surrounded by messages pushing unhealthy food, day after day, corner after corner. 

Policy challenges 

At a national level, restrictions on junk food advertising before 9pm on TV and paid-for online spaces are planned for January 2026. Yet there is still no equivalent legislation for outdoor advertising. This loophole allows unhealthy promotion to shift from screens to streets, where it remains just as pervasive, persuasive, and powerful. 

Some local councils are stepping up. So far, 25 out of 382 authorities have introduced Healthier Food Advertising Policies (HFAPs) on council-owned sites. But progress is slow. Many advertising spaces are privately owned or managed by combined authorities, with contracts that can last for 10 years or more. While some worry about potential revenue losses, these concerns are not supported by evidence1. What is clear is that doing nothing to safeguard children’s health is not good enough. 

A personal reflection 

For me, MAAP was more than research. Walking the streets of Leeds, the city I called home during university, revealed just how deeply the commercial determinants of health shape daily life. Once you start noticing the adverts, it’s hard to stop noticing them. Bus stops, billboards, shopfronts, even small A-boards outside cafés – all quietly nudge us towards unhealthy options, normalising habits that harm our long-term health. 

This experience reinforced something powerful: our environments shape our choices. The places we live, work, and travel through influence us more than personal willpower ever could. 

By strengthening evidence on how children and young people are exposed to unhealthy food and drink marketing, we can help build healthier, fairer environments – where every child has a chance to thrive. At Health Equalities Group (HEG), our work supporting local HFAPs and consulting with children, families, and councils is helping build the case for change. 

For more information about the research, please click here.