Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

SunglassesDan t1_j6156jt wrote

Reply to comment by shiruken in The implementation of a soft drinks industry levy in the UK in 2018 was associated with an 8% reduction in obesity among 10-11 year old girls with the greatest reductions seen in those living in the most deprived areas. No such association was found in 10-11 year old boys or younger children. by shiruken

Seems like other factors involved beyond just the soda calories. A household level reduction of 6240 calories per year is less than 0.5 lbs/person/year.

32

shiruken OP t1_j61cta5 wrote

Looking closer at the 2021 study, it seems these results were in line with predictions:

>Assuming a mean UK household size of 2.4 people, this is equivalent to a reduction in sugar consumption from SSBs of 12.5 g per person per week... A modelling study conducted before implementation of the SDIL found that if the levy achieved reformulation it could be expected to lead to a decrease in sugar consumption from SSBs of 7-38 g per person per week and that this would be associated with a reduction in the number of obese individuals in the UK of 0.2-0.9% and a reduction in incidence cases of type 2 diabetes of 0.8-4.4 per 1000 person years. The reduction in sugar from SSBs we report one year after implementation of the SDIL is within this range.

The authors of the current study point out their results are similar to those seen in Mexico:

>Second, the magnitude and pattern of associations in our results are consistent with recent findings from Mexico that report a modest reduction in overweight or obesity prevalence in adolescent girls (aged 10 to 18) with a 1.3-PP absolute decrease 2 years after a 10% SSB price increase (compared to a 1.6-PP absolute decrease observed in this study in 10- to 11-year-old girls 19 months after the levy was introduced) [38]. Moreover, similar to the findings of this study, no significant reductions in weight-related outcomes were observed in adolescent boys in Mexico. We note, however, that the tax implemented in Mexico is not directly comparable with the UK SDIL; in Mexico; the tax had a different design aimed at increasing the price to consumers resulting in 100% of the SSB tax being passed through to consumers, equating to a 14% increase in prices [49], and, importantly, the tax was included as a wider package of anti-obesity measures, which included charging 8% on high-energy foods [23]. We note the importance of the finding that the tax in Mexico was more effective in girls who were heavier. Similar analysis was not possible here because we only had access to repeated cross-sectional data, which cannot be linked over time.

31

Orinoco123 t1_j6191dj wrote

You've applied the average evenly, not necessarily the case.

24

RudeHero t1_j62flam wrote

You're assuming every family drinks the exact same amount of soda

12