Taxes on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages to Reduce Overweight and Obesity in Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), which can lead to weight gain, is rising in middle-income countries (MICs). Taxing SSBs may help address this challenge. Systematic reviews focused on high-income countries indicate that taxing SSBs may reduce SSB consumption. Responsiveness to price changes may differ in MICs, where governments are considering the tax. To help inform their policy decisions, this review compiles evidence from MICs, assessing post-tax price increases (objective 1), changes in demand for SSBs and other products, overall and by socio-economic groups (objective 2), and effects on overweight and obesity prevalence (objective 3).

Methods and findings

We conducted a systematic review on the effectiveness of SSB taxation in MICs (1990-2

SUBMITTER: Nakhimovsky SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5036809 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature