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The aim of the research is to investigate how healthy and unhealthy foods (e.g., those of little nutritional value, but high fat and sugar content) are represented in televised advertising, analyzing the differences in persuasive strategies used to promote them.

Content analysis was performed on 62 food advertisings broadcast on the main Italian national TV channels, focusing on target, representation of food consumption, number and gender of the main characters, visual and sound effects (i.e. music jungles etc.) and references to nutritional properties.

Results showed that healthy food products are marketed almost exclusively to adults, using adult-oriented advertising techniques, whereas unhealthy food advertisings rely on communicative formats and appeals more suited for children and adolescents.

The research first investigated, with a simple descriptive approach, how television advertising of unhealthy food products relies on specifically crafted communication in order to attract young consumers' attention and, ultimately, affect their buying intentions.

As an increasing number of women enter the workforce, the traditional boundaries between work and family become less defined. The two important directions for dealing with this new phenomenon are further research and development of family‐oriented policies by government and corporations. New research involves the use of longitudinal studies and more refined definitions of work and family variables. The focus of the policies, in response to the issues of work and family, revolves around family leave, child and dependent care programmes, flexible work schedules and other assistance. Though there has been some momentum by governments and corporations, much progress is needed in the 1990s to develop more effective policies and to overcome attitudes as the impact of women in the workforce becomes more prominent.