Taxing sugary drinks reduces consumption by 50% in lower-income households

Taxing sugary drinks makes the lowest-income households buy them by almost 50%, which could present a strategy to further reduce health disparities, new research has found.

The study, published late last month by the University of Washington, sought to identify the impact of the eight US cities that have begun taxing sugary drinks such as energy drinks, sports drinks and carbonated soft drinks. The cities included in the study were Seattle, San Francisco, Oakland and Philadelphia, although other areas in Northern California, Boulder and Washington, DC also tax sugary drinks.

After studying the purchasing behaviors of 400 households for a year before and after their city’s tax was implemented, researchers found that lower-income households, which consume sugary drinks at a rate higher than the average, according to previous studies, bought about 47.% less after tax, while households with higher incomes reduced their purchases of the products by 18%.

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Previous UW research showed that lower-income households paid about the same amount for the sugary drink tax as higher-income households, meaning they spent a higher proportion of their income on shopping usually higher quantities of the products.

The results of the study may lead to more tax decisions aimed at promoting healthier choices among consumers, the researchers said, as the UW research also showed that the tax was associated with a drop in the index of child body mass in Seattle.

“Together, this body of work suggests that the tax has the intended health benefits, and this new evidence gives reason to believe that the health benefits may be greater for lower-income households.” , said Jessica Jones-Smith, co-author and UW professor. health systems and population health.

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Several studies have shown that Americans eat and drink too many added sugars, and sugary drinks are the top source of added sugars in the US, according to the CDC. Also, some research has shown that drinking these sugars instead of eating them delivers more sugar to organs like the pancreas and liver than they can handle, which can overload them over time. This compounds the effects of sugar to cause health problems such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and liver and heart disease.

“If households reduce their sugar intake, they will experience health benefits,” said Melissa Knox, co-author and associate professor of economics at the UW. “Sweetened drinks … have all kinds of health consequences and don’t really provide any nutrition. The idea with the tax is that people with lower incomes, because they reduce their intake more, get more benefits healthcare than households with higher incomes.”