Taxing sodas, the best policy against obesity?
Reducing the number of obese is the fight of many countries. This is the case in France, China, or even the USA. Many strategies have already been put in place in these countries, but are they effective or should we look elsewhere?
A team of American researchers, led by Alyson KRISTENSEN, decided to compare 3 varied policies already studied separately: extracurricular activity, the tax of 1 cent per 4.2 g of sugar in sugary drinks, and a ban on fast food television commercials targeting children.
The results of this study were published on August 26, 214 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (1) .
The study
To be able to obtain complete results, the team first started by studying all the writings on the subject published between January 2000 and July 2012.
They then wanted to simulate the effect on diet or physical activity, as well as on body mass index. This simulation was carried out on a 20-year projection , that is to say in 2032, on a group of school children, after the “virtual” implementation of these measures.
The results
It would seem that the 3 policies are beneficial, especially among the populations most affected by obesity such as Hispanic Americans, or even African Americans.
However, the effects vary by age group. For example, the 6-12 year old group would be more receptive to extracurricular activity with a reduction in the number of cases of obesity of 1.8%.
As for the 13-18 age group, they would be more receptive to a tax on sugary drinks, which would be likely to reduce the cases of obesity in this age group by 2.4 %.
Taxing sugary drinks is the best solution
According to American researchers, taxing sugary drinks would be the best solution in the prevention of diabetes. Alyson KRISTENSEN specifies that this solution also has other advantages. “It reduces obesity while generating significant revenue that funds other obesity prevention activities,” she says.
She nevertheless specifies that implementing one of these policies of such magnitude would unfortunately be unlikely in the short term . She hopes that over time, and with increasingly clear evidence of the benefit of implementing such actions, the population will realize that it is a necessity. It is then up to the State, as well as the local authorities, to ensure that they can implement the 3 combined actions.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.