Digital Marketing Claims and Their Association With the Perceptions of Parents of Children Under 2 Years Old of Commercial Milk Formulas in Mexico

We analysed digital marketing claims for commercial milk formula (CMF) and their association with parents' perceptions of the health and nutrition benefits of this industrialised product. The study sample consisted of 1074 parents ≥ 18 years old with internet access, with children < 2 years old, living in Mexico, who responded to an online survey between December 2020 and January 2021. The most frequent health-related, nutrition, technical, and emotional claims on websites and social media of major CMF brands, online pharmacies, and supermarkets were identified and linked to parents' potential exposure. The degree of favourable perception of CMF was estimated using a Likert scale and categorised as high versus low. Adjusted logistic regressions were used to assess the association between potential exposure to CMF claims and the parents' perceptions of these products. Parents who were potentially exposed to the following CMF claims on digital media: 'No sugar added' (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.14-2.0), 'Prevents diseases' (OR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.04-1.88), and 'Information related to COVID-19' (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.57-2.74) were more likely to have a positive perception of CMF compared to those not exposed to these claims. In conclusion, parents' potential exposure to health-related and nutrition claims from leading CMF brands on websites and social media in Mexico was associated with a favourable perception of these products. The results support the World Health Assembly resolutions not to allow nutrition and health claims for CMFs, as they can be used to promote these products as equivalent or superior to breastfeeding. Action is needed to ensure that prohibition of CMF claims applies to digital media, as recommended by recent global guidelines.