Developing nations are emerging from food poverty and overcoming
associated externalities such as malnutrition. However, there is a
growing possibility that due to the globalization of food markets and
widespread use of different marketing approaches, children immediately
then become exposed to a new set of externalities associated with
unhealthy food choices, such as obesity. In this article, we explore the
relatively under-researched area of the influence that marketing and
packaging may have on parents' food purchasing behaviour in developing
countries. We present the results of a multivariate analysis of a survey
of parents in Nigeria as a case study, exploring the characteristics
and attitudes of parents to develop a typology of consumers whose young
children may be at risk from eating unhealthy food. In addition, we
consider the role that social marketing could play in encouraging
segments of parents to purchase more healthy food for their children and
changing children's purchasing behaviour. While older parents appear to
be more susceptible to children's food purchasing requests, younger
households appear to be vulnerable to forming unhealthy consumption
habits, which could create further economic, social, and humanitarian
development issues as countries try to raise national incomes. The
importance of segmented social marketing and globalized versus local
marketing differentiation is emphasized A social marketing approach may
not only reduce worrying trends relating to childhood obesity but also
play a role in reducing malnutrition, as it is important that
corporations and governments ensure that developing nations do not
emerge from one food-health crisis only to encounter another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]