Grocery food taxes and U.S. county obesity and diabetes rates.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Grocery food taxes represent a stable tax revenue stream for state and municipal government during times of adverse economic shocks such as that observed under the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Previous research, however, suggests a possible mechanism through which grocery taxes may adversely affect health. Our objectives are to document the spatial and temporal variation in grocery taxes and to empirically examine the statistical relationship between county-level grocery taxes and obesity and diabetes.

Methods

We collect and assemble a novel national dataset of annual county and state-level grocery taxes from 2009 through 2016. We link this data to three-year, county-level estimates based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

SUBMITTER: Wang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7882053 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature