City-Level Taxes on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tied to Lower Youth BMI
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Aug. 6, 2024 -- City-level excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are associated with lower body mass index (BMI) among youths, according to a study published online July 31 in JAMA Network Open.
Deborah Rohm Young, Ph.D., from Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena, and colleagues examined whether city-level excise taxes on SSBs are associated with youth BMI. The analysis included data from 44,771 youths living in four California cities (Albany, Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco), which implemented SSB excise taxes, and 345,428 youths from 40 demographically matched control cities in California.
The researchers found a −1.64-percentage point difference in the mean change of BMI percentile between exposure and control cities after SSB tax implementation. However, there was no significant overall difference in the percentage of youths with overweight or obesity between the cities. Changes in mean BMI percentiles were significant for male (−1.98 percentage points), Asian (−1.63 percentage points), and White (−2.58 percentage points) youths in intervention cities compared with control cities. Additionally, White youths in exposure cities had improvements in the percentage with overweight or obesity (−3.73 percentage points) and the percentage with obesity (−2.78 percentage points).
"Policymakers should consider implementing SSB excise taxes to prevent or reduce youth overweight and obesity and, ultimately, chronic disease, particularly among children younger than 12 years," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2024
Read this next
Prevalence of Extremely Severe Obesity Increasing in Children
TUESDAY, July 22, 2025 -- From 2008 to 2023, there was an increase in the prevalence of extremely severe obesity in children, especially among older adolescents and non-Hispanic...
CDC, FDA Warn of Possible Salmonella Risk From Frozen Sprouted Beans
FRIDAY, July 18, 2025 -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with public health officials in several states, are...
Long-Term Obesity Linked to Expression of Aging Biomarkers
THURSDAY, July 17, 2025 -- Long-term obesity is associated with the expression of biomarkers denoting antagonistic and integrative aging hallmarks in adults aged 28 to 31 years...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.