Study Names Soda Tax & After School Physical Activity As Top Policies for Reducing Childhood Obesity

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Which federal policies are most effective for reducing childhood obesity?

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, two of the top policies are:

1. a penny-per-ounce ($0.01/ounce) tax on sugar sweetened beverages (soda tax);

and

2. 60 minutes of daily after school physical activity for children.

Through a microsimulation analysis, researchers were able to project the long-term impact of three federal policies, including the two named above, in addition to a policy that would ban fast food commercials on TV.

While all three policies have the potential to reduce childhood obesity, the penny-per-ounce policy was deemed to have the highest impact.

Not only would a soda tax reduce obesity by an estimated 2.4 percentage points among teens, but it has the potential to generate an estimated $13.25 billion/year to go towards obesity prevention initiatives. According to the publication, it would also be one of the easiest policies to implement.

The after school physical activity policy also has certain advantages. Researchers found that it would be especially effective for reducing obesity among children between the ages of 6-12 years old, leading to a decrease in obesity of 1.8 percentage points, among this age group.

Altogether, researchers say the three policies would have a significant impact on obesity, especially among groups like Latinos and African Americans who often face higher than average obesity rates.

To learn more, access the full research article here.