The proportion of individuals with overweight and obesity is increasing globally, and in many countries, various ways to address the problem are being tested and discussed. It has been known for some time that sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, are a contributing factor to overweight and that introducing special sugar or soda taxes is one approach that has been tried in different places. However, the results that have been able to scientifically demonstrate the effect have been few.
In Philadelphia, a tax on both sugar-sweetened beverages and those with sweeteners was introduced in 2017. Researchers have now compared the weight development of around 65,600 children between 2 and 18 years old in Philadelphia with children in surrounding areas that did not have a soda tax.
The researchers also took into account other factors that can affect children's weight, such as age and socioeconomic status.
Reduced Sales
The taxes resulted in prices for soda increasing by an average of 30 percent, and sales decreasing by between 25 and 35 percent. However, when the researchers examined BMI – a measure of the relationship between a person's height and weight – and obesity in children, no difference was seen. The results have been published in the journal Jama Pediatrics.
The researchers write that there may be several reasons why no effect is seen. They mention, among other things, that the follow-up period of an average of two years was too short for the tax to have had an impact.
Good for Health
However, they also note that the study primarily indicates that the issue of overweight and obesity in children and young people is complex and that many different approaches are needed to change the trend. A reduced sale of sweetened beverages has other positive effects on health, but appears not to be sufficient to reduce overweight and obesity.
Some form of sugar tax exists in a large number of countries, including Mexico, Finland, and the United Kingdom. They are designed in different ways, but in most cases, they lead to a reduced sale. However, there are few studies that can demonstrate a direct effect on BMI.
