Introduction:
A major driver of the rising childhood obesity in Uganda is an unhealthy food environment arising partially from an increase in advertising of unhealthy food. This project aims to examine the trends in the extent and nature of food and beverage advertisement to young children and adolescents (2- 18 years) in Uganda.

Materials and Methods:
Mixed-methods study design involving a first secondary retrospective content analysis of national data from media monitoring (television, radio, and newspapers) from October 2018 to September 2019. Recorded data from 8 randomly selected days (four weekdays and four weekend days) in each of the four advertising seasons will be sampled from the top three national television and radio stations, plus the three most-read newspapers in the three study regions. Second, primary data is collected from 427 households with children (under 18 years) in 2022/3, using semi-structured questionnaires for self-reported consumption of the food items identified in the first phase and anthropometric measurements. Further, stakeholder attitudes, perceptions, and experiences with food advertising towards children will be captured using standardized International Network for Obesity Research Management and Action Support tools. The WHO Nutrient Profile model for the African region will be used to classify advertised foods into permitted/not permitted to marketing to children; and the NOVA system to classify foods into four groups: unprocessed/minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods. Rates and trends of food advertising to children by type of food will be studied. Makerere University School of Public Health Research and Ethics Committee and the National Council for Science and Technology approved this study.

Results (Anticipated Benefits):
The study findings will inform government policy priority actions to create healthy food environments that reduce childhood obesity risk.