Adopting and implementing local government policy restrictions on harmful commodities advertising in England: A qualitative exploration of challenges, facilitators and impacts

Adopting and implementing local government policy restrictions on harmful commodities advertising in England: A qualitative exploration of challenges, facilitators and impacts | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Adopting and implementing local government policy restrictions on harmful commodities advertising in England: A qualitative exploration of challenges, facilitators and impacts Michael P Daly, Cheryl McQuire, Katrina d’Apice, Andrea Burrows, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7808983/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract Background : Restricting the advertisement of commodities that are harmful to human and planetary health is an evidence-based policy priority for improving population health and reducing inequalities. Yet only a minority of local authorities in England have adopted advertising restriction policies, and these vary widely in the commodities they cover. As little is known about why this variation exists, we aimed to explore the diverse experiences of local authorities in England who have developed, adopted, and implemented these policies, and identify facilitators, barriers, and perceived impacts. Methods : We conducted semi-structured interviews (N=15) with local authority professionals involved in developing and/or implementing advertising restriction policies, purposively sampled for diversity in policy components and the geographical, political and sociodemographic characteristics of their local authorities. We explored how these policies were developed and implemented, and their actual or perceived impacts. Data were analysed using a data-driven framework analysis. Results : Participants identified barriers to the adoption and impacts of these policies, including industry warnings of revenue loss, political concerns about individual choice, revenue and local economy impacts, a lack of resources for enforcement, and the predominance of privately-owned advertising. Facilitators included multi-party political support for whole-systems approaches to public health issues, evidence of cost-effectiveness and public support, exemptions for local businesses, and collaboration between local authorities. Policies were broadly supported by the public, with limited industry resistance post-implementation. Participants reported visible reductions in harmful commodity advertising in their localities and minimal advertising revenue losses, with more ‘positive’ and pro-social advertisements replacing restricted ones. To further these impacts, many authorities were working to persuade businesses and public organisations to adopt similar policies. Participants highlighted a need for clearer, universally-accepted advertising eligibility guidelines, more stringent policy enforcement, national legislation to ensure consistent, nationwide policy coverage and avoid duplication of effort, and complementary strategies to improve the availability of healthy alternatives. Conclusions : Future research should evaluate the cost-effectiveness and wider impacts of harmful commodity advertising restrictions to enable local authority teams to address commercial and political pushback. More comprehensive national legislation is needed to address the fragmentary coverage of localised restrictions and conserve local authority capacity. Health Policy Advertising Commercial Determinants of Health Local Government Health Policy Regulation harmful commodity industry Food high fat salt and sugar (HFSS) products Alcohol Consumption Tobacco Consumption E-Cigarettes Gambling Fossil Fuels Qualitative Research Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files Daly2025Adoptingimplementinglocalgovernmentadvertisingrestrictionpoliciesadditionalfilesv1.0.docx Daly 2025_Additional files_v1.0 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7808983","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":527075540,"identity":"51ba40bf-a26a-4b91-89d8-6a6b662c334a","order_by":0,"name":"Michael P Daly","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6694-3835","institution":"Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Michael","middleName":"P","lastName":"Daly","suffix":""},{"id":527075541,"identity":"d069c69a-5c9e-49b1-9a01-9eee583a26d4","order_by":1,"name":"Cheryl McQuire","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Cheryl","middleName":"","lastName":"McQuire","suffix":""},{"id":527075542,"identity":"bddd0751-9819-40e3-b727-dea6365bfe43","order_by":2,"name":"Katrina d’Apice","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Katrina","middleName":"","lastName":"d’Apice","suffix":""},{"id":527075543,"identity":"d7674fc0-71e0-4a35-aee1-602f0d2447f0","order_by":3,"name":"Andrea Burrows","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Health \u0026 Life Sciences, Teesside University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Andrea","middleName":"","lastName":"Burrows","suffix":""},{"id":527075544,"identity":"a802152f-ecfb-4082-b59b-bd080771a594","order_by":4,"name":"Paige P Hulls","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Paige","middleName":"P","lastName":"Hulls","suffix":""},{"id":527075545,"identity":"b848375b-8970-46d3-97ab-96ba619dbaab","order_by":5,"name":"Amelia Lake","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Health \u0026 Life Sciences, Teesside University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Amelia","middleName":"","lastName":"Lake","suffix":""},{"id":527075546,"identity":"eabdade2-e390-4113-a983-7ae6af51d378","order_by":6,"name":"Emma Boyland","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Emma","middleName":"","lastName":"Boyland","suffix":""},{"id":527075547,"identity":"3a39f955-35b4-412e-979d-ce939122c0e2","order_by":7,"name":"Eszter P Vamos","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Eszter","middleName":"P","lastName":"Vamos","suffix":""},{"id":527075548,"identity":"0dbb0c82-8421-49f8-851a-8909dc4e8394","order_by":8,"name":"Steven Cummins","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Population Health Innovation Lab, Department of Public Health, Environments \u0026 Society, London School of Hygiene \u0026 Tropical Medicine","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Steven","middleName":"","lastName":"Cummins","suffix":""},{"id":527075549,"identity":"6c9da75c-f9ac-4494-847c-1073348044db","order_by":9,"name":"Frank de Vocht","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Frank","middleName":"","lastName":"de Vocht","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-08 14:36:39","currentVersionCode":2,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":true,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true,"humanSubjectConsent":true,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7808983/v2","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7808983/v2","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108805266,"identity":"5097cb75-20c9-470c-aa6e-e3dc877330b6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-08 15:25:25","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":558650,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Daly2025Adoptingimplementinglocalgovernmentadvertisingrestrictionpoliciesmsv1.010.04.26.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7808983/v2_covered_6efbd6f6-77b3-4866-82a5-6aaa227198cb.pdf"},{"id":108639063,"identity":"92caac82-7002-4396-a0cd-3896fd28f9a0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-06 18:55:18","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":56662,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDaly 2025_Additional files_v1.0\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Daly2025Adoptingimplementinglocalgovernmentadvertisingrestrictionpoliciesadditionalfilesv1.0.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7808983/v2/d10843b456a20eb180157be7.docx"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"Adopting and implementing local government policy restrictions on harmful commodities advertising in England: A qualitative exploration of challenges, facilitators and impacts","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[{"identity":"3f91f6bf-cf31-44e1-b07c-4654dfe29720","identifier":"10.13039/501100012349","name":"School for Public Health Research","awardNumber":"NIHR 204000","order_by":0}],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"University of Bristol","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Advertising, Commercial Determinants of Health, Local Government, Health Policy, Regulation, harmful commodity industry, Food, high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products, Alcohol Consumption, Tobacco Consumption, E-Cigarettes, Gambling, Fossil Fuels, Qualitative Research","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7808983/v2","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7808983/v2","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground\u003c/strong\u003e: Restricting the advertisement of commodities that are harmful to human and planetary health is an evidence-based policy priority for improving population health and reducing inequalities. Yet only a minority of local authorities in England have adopted advertising restriction policies, and these vary widely in the commodities they cover. As little is known about why this variation exists, we aimed to explore the diverse experiences of local authorities in England who have developed, adopted, and implemented these policies, and identify facilitators, barriers, and perceived impacts.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods\u003c/strong\u003e: We conducted semi-structured interviews (N=15) with local authority professionals involved in developing and/or implementing advertising restriction policies, purposively sampled for diversity in policy components and the geographical, political and sociodemographic characteristics of their local authorities. We explored how these policies were developed and implemented, and their actual or perceived impacts. Data were analysed using a data-driven framework analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e: Participants identified barriers to the adoption and impacts of these policies, including industry warnings of revenue loss, political concerns about individual choice, revenue and local economy impacts, a lack of resources for enforcement, and the predominance of privately-owned advertising. Facilitators included multi-party political support for whole-systems approaches to public health issues, evidence of cost-effectiveness and public support, exemptions for local businesses, and collaboration between local authorities. Policies were broadly supported by the public, with limited industry resistance post-implementation. Participants reported visible reductions in harmful commodity advertising in their localities and minimal advertising revenue losses, with more ‘positive’ and pro-social advertisements replacing restricted ones. To further these impacts, many authorities were working to persuade businesses and public organisations to adopt similar policies. Participants highlighted a need for clearer, universally-accepted advertising eligibility guidelines, more stringent policy enforcement, national legislation to ensure consistent, nationwide policy coverage and avoid duplication of effort, and complementary strategies to improve the availability of healthy alternatives.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions\u003c/strong\u003e: Future research should evaluate the cost-effectiveness and wider impacts of harmful commodity advertising restrictions to enable local authority teams to address commercial and political pushback. More comprehensive national legislation is needed to address the fragmentary coverage of localised restrictions and conserve local authority capacity.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Adopting and implementing local government policy restrictions on harmful commodities advertising in England: A qualitative exploration of challenges, facilitators and impacts","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":2,"date":"2026-05-06 18:55:10","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7808983/v2","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}},{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-09 11:37:19","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7808983/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"4c856d30-11cc-4af6-8899-730d2c7ac577","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 6th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":56024082,"name":"Health Policy"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-09T11:37:19+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-05-06 18:55:10","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v2","identity":"rs-7808983","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7808983","identity":"rs-7808983","version":["v2"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}