by Lori Solomon

City-level excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are associated with lower body mass index (BMI) among youths, according to a study published online July 31 in JAMA Network Open.

Deborah Rohm Young, Ph.D., from Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena, and colleagues examined whether city-level excise taxes on SSBs are associated with youth BMI. The analysis included data from 44,771 youths living in four California cities (Albany, Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco), which implemented SSB excise taxes, and 345,428 youths from 40 demographically matched control cities in California.

The researchers found a −1.64-percentage point difference in the mean change of BMI percentile between exposure and control cities after SSB tax implementation. However, there was no significant overall difference in the percentage of youths with overweight or obesity between the cities.

Changes in mean BMI percentiles were significant for male (−1.98 percentage points), Asian (−1.63 percentage points), and White (−2.58 percentage points) youths in intervention cities compared with control cities. Additionally, White youths in exposure cities had improvements in the percentage with overweight or obesity (−3.73 percentage points) and the percentage with obesity (−2.78 percentage points).

"Policymakers should consider implementing SSB excise taxes to prevent or reduce youth overweight and obesity and, ultimately, chronic disease, particularly among children younger than 12 years," the authors write.

More information: Deborah Rohm Young et al, City-Level Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes and Youth Body Mass Index Percentile, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.24822

Journal information: JAMA Network Open 

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