The extent of outdoor food and beverage advertising surrounding primary and secondary schools in poorly resourced townships in Cape Town, South Africa

Background: The targeted marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to vulnerable populations, particularly children and adolescents in lower-income communities, is pervasive and coincides with increased non-communicable disease (NCD) rates. This study examined the extent of food and beverage advertising surrounding schools in three townships in Cape Town, South Africa: Gugulethu, Nyanga, and Kensington. Methodology: Trained fieldworkers used web-based surveys on smartphones to capture all observable outdoor food and beverage advertisements in the three townships. Surveys recorded product brand, type, placement, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, and a digital photograph. Advertisements were categorised as sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), unhealthy food (excluding beverages), alcohol, staple food, and miscellaneous food, following the INFORMAS Outdoor Food Advertising Protocol. Advertisements visible within 100m- and 400m buffer zones surrounding primary and secondary schools were mapped using the Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) software. Descriptive analyses were conducted to determine the extent of outdoor food and beverage advertising surrounding schools. Results: We mapped 26 primary and 7 secondary schools, observing 253 and 1587 food and beverage advertisements within 100m and 400m of schools, respectively. Unhealthy advertisements comprised 69.9% and 68.5% of all observations within 100m- and 400m zones, respectively. There were 117 SSB, 57 unhealthy food, 3 alcohol, 64 staple food, and 12 miscellaneous food advertisements within 100m zones. Nyanga zones contained the most SSB (71, 60.7%) and unhealthy food advertisements (37, 64.9%). Secondary schools had higher SSB advertisement rates than primary schools (p < 0.001). Within 400m zones, there were 623 SSB, 370 unhealthy food, 93 alcohol, 445 staple food, and 56 miscellaneous food advertisements, with Nyanga leading in SSB (335, 53.8%) and unhealthy food advertisements (224, 54.9%). Conclusion: The results highlight a concerning level of exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertisements around schools, particularly secondary schools in low-income townships. This could have implications for the dietary choices and health of students in these areas. The findings underscore the need for policy interventions and community awareness programs to address and regulate the advertising environment around schools, promoting healthier food and beverage choices for students.