1
|
Mohd Hanim MFB, Md Sabri BA, Yusof N. Online commentaries of the sugar-sweetened beverages tax in Malaysia: Content analysis. Public Health Nurs 2024; 41:139-150. [PMID: 37953703 DOI: 10.1111/phn.13262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Implementing taxes on sugary drinks, or SSBs, has been a controversial topic in many countries, including Malaysia. This study aimed to examine how Malaysian Facebook users responded to the announcement and implementation of the SSBs tax through netnography. METHODS This cross-sectional study employed qualitative and quantitative methods and used an inductive approach and thematic content analysis to analyze online commentaries on news articles published on popular online news portals from November 2018 to August 2019. Data was collected by downloading the commentaries onto Microsoft Word and importing them into NVivo. RESULTS Of the commentaries analyzed, 60.9% rejected the SSBs tax, and 39.1% favored it. No association was found between the online news articles and the slants of the commentaries. CONCLUSION The results of this study demonstrate a clear divide in public opinion regarding the SSBs tax in Malaysia, with many online readers expressing opposition to the tax despite evidence of the harmful effects of sugar presented in the articles they are commenting on. These findings have implications for policymakers and public health advocates seeking to implement similar taxes in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Faiz Bin Mohd Hanim
- Centre of Population Oral Health and Clinical Prevention, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
- Oral Health Program, Ministry of Health, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya, Malaysia
| | - Budi Aslinie Md Sabri
- Centre of Population Oral Health and Clinical Prevention, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Norashikin Yusof
- Centre of Population Oral Health and Clinical Prevention, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Abstract
CONTEXT Obesity is a multicausal social problem and a pandemic, and it presents a public health challenge in many countries. Hence, public health interventions have been used in an endeavour to prevent and/or control increased obesity among populations. OBJECTIVE This review study aimed to provide an overview of the academic literature and to analyze the strategies involved in the main public policies focused on preventing and controlling obesity in a number of countries. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, and LILACS databases were searched. DATA EXTRACTION Original studies were included for which the core objective was related to real-life public policy interventions for obesity. DATA ANALYSIS The studies were organized according to their characteristics, and the qualitative analysis was based on the categorization proposed by the author Poulain. The review included 41 studies and identified 15 types of interventions focused on obesity; the largest proportion of actions were developed in school and city environments and were geared toward behavioral change, supported by direct or indirect government action. It was observed that many strategies focused on environmental line through regulatory and legislative measures, and health promotion geared toward the individual was based on the dissemination of information as a means for behavioral change. A smaller focus was given to individual care and treatment, and participative actions in the community. CONCLUSION The design of public health strategies applicable to obesity as proposed by Poulain provides a valid model for evaluating interventions. The behavioral approach involving guidance through health education toward a healthy lifestyle prevails in public policies, indicating a movement toward accountability of individuals. However, it is necessary to deepen the debate on the social structures that determine obesity (and which limit possibilities of choice), aligned with cultural change regarding its occurrence, and to employ care strategies based on scientific evidence and which focus on the needs of the subjects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lana M S Souza
- Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Canela, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Sônia C L Chaves
- Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | - Jerusa M Santana
- Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia, Santo Antônio de Jesus, Brazil
| | - Marcos Pereira
- Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Alvarado M, Adams J, Penney T, Murphy MM, Abdool Karim S, Egan N, Rogers NT, Carters-White L, White M. A systematic scoping review evaluating sugar-sweetened beverage taxation from a systems perspective. Nat Food 2023; 4:986-995. [PMID: 37857862 PMCID: PMC10661741 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-023-00856-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Systems thinking can reveal surprising, counterintuitive or unintended reactions to population health interventions (PHIs), yet this lens has rarely been applied to sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation. Using a systematic scoping review approach, we identified 329 papers concerning SSB taxation, of which 45 considered influences and impacts of SSB taxation jointly, involving methodological approaches that may prove promising for operationalizing a systems informed approach to PHI evaluation. Influences and impacts concerning SSB taxation may be cyclically linked, and studies that consider both enable us to identify implications beyond a predicted linear effect. Only three studies explicitly used systems thinking informed methods. Finally, we developed an illustrative, feedback-oriented conceptual framework, emphasizing the processes that could result in an SSB tax being increased, maintained, eroded or repealed over time. Such a framework could be used to synthesize evidence from non-systems informed evaluations, leading to novel research questions and further policy development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Alvarado
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Jean Adams
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tarra Penney
- Global Food System and Policy Research, School of Global Health, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Madhuvanti M Murphy
- George Alleyne Chronic Disease Research Centre, Caribbean Institute for Health Research, The University of the West Indies, Bridgetown, Barbados
| | | | - Nat Egan
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nina Trivedy Rogers
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Lauren Carters-White
- SPECTRUM Consortium, Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, Old Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Martin White
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Reyes-García A, Junquera-Badilla I, Batis C, Colchero MA, Miranda JJ, Barrientos-Gutiérrez T, Basto-Abreu A. How Could Taxes on Sugary Drinks and Foods Help Reduce the Burden Of Type 2 Diabetes? Curr Diab Rep 2023; 23:265-275. [PMID: 37695402 DOI: 10.1007/s11892-023-01519-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Taxes on sugary drinks and foods have emerged as a key strategy to counteract the alarming levels of diabetes worldwide. Added sugar consumption from industrialized foods and beverages has been strongly linked to type 2 diabetes. This review provides a synthesis of evidence on how taxes on sugary products can influence the onset of type 2 diabetes, describing the importance of the different mechanisms through which the consumption of these products is reduced, leading to changes in weight and potentially a decrease in the incidence of type 2 diabetes. RECENT FINDINGS Observational studies have shown significant reductions in purchases, energy intake, and body weight after the implementation of taxes on sugary drinks or foods. Simulation studies based on the association between energy intake and type 2 diabetes estimated the potential long-term health and economic effects, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, suggesting that the implementation of sugary food and beverage taxes may have a meaningful impact on reducing type 2 diabetes and complications. Public health response to diabetes requires multi-faceted approaches from health and non-health actors to drive healthier societies. Population-wide strategies, such as added sugar taxes, highlight the potential benefits of financial incentives to address behaviors and protective factors to significantly change an individual's health trajectory and reduce the onset of type 2 diabetes worldwide, both in terms of economy and public health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alan Reyes-García
- Center for Population Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Avenida Universidad 655, Santa María Ahuacatitlán, 62100, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Isabel Junquera-Badilla
- Center for Population Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Avenida Universidad 655, Santa María Ahuacatitlán, 62100, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Carolina Batis
- CONACYT - Center for Health and Nutrition Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - M Arantxa Colchero
- Center for Health Systems Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - J Jaime Miranda
- Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
| | - Tonatiuh Barrientos-Gutiérrez
- Center for Population Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Avenida Universidad 655, Santa María Ahuacatitlán, 62100, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Ana Basto-Abreu
- Center for Population Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Avenida Universidad 655, Santa María Ahuacatitlán, 62100, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Levy N, Savulescu J. The Myth of Zero-Sum Responsibility: Towards Scaffolded Responsibility for Health. J Moral Philos 2023; 21:85-105. [PMID: 38623184 PMCID: PMC7615831 DOI: 10.1163/17455243-20233725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Some people argue that the distribution of medical resources should be sensitive to agents' responsibility for their ill-health. In contrast, others point to the social determinants of health to argue that the collective agents that control the conditions in which agents act should bear responsibility. To a large degree, this is a debate in which those who hold individuals responsible currently have the upper hand: warranted appeals to individual responsibility effectively block allocation of any significant degree of responsibility to collective agents. We suggest that a different understanding of individual responsibility might lead to a fairer allocation of blame. Scaffolded agency is individual agency exercised in a context in which opportunities and affordances are structured by others. Appeals to scaffolded agency at once recognize the role of the individual and of the collective agents who have put the scaffolds in place.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neil Levy
- Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Julian Savulescu
- Centre for Biomedical Ethics, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Yan RR, Chan CB, Louie JCY. Current WHO recommendation to reduce free sugar intake from all sources to below 10% of daily energy intake for supporting overall health is not well supported by available evidence. Am J Clin Nutr 2022; 116:15-39. [PMID: 35380611 PMCID: PMC9307988 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Sugar is widely consumed over the world. Although the mainstream view is that high added or free sugar consumption leads to obesity and related metabolic diseases, controversies exist. This narrative review aims to highlight important findings and identify major limitations and gaps in the current body of evidence in relation to the effect of high sugar intakes on health. Previous animal studies have shown that high sucrose or fructose consumption causes insulin resistance in the liver and skeletal muscle and consequent hyperglycemia, mainly because of fructose-induced de novo hepatic lipogenesis. However, evidence from human observational studies and clinical trials has been inconsistent, where most if not all studies linking high sugar intake to obesity focused on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and studies focusing on sugars from solid foods yielded null findings. In our opinion, the substantial limitations in the current body of evidence, such as short study durations, use of supraphysiological doses of sugar or fructose alone in animal studies, and a lack of direct comparisons of the effects of solid compared with liquid sugars on health outcomes, as well as the lack of appropriate controls, seriously curtail the translatability of the findings to real-world situations. It is quite possible that "high" sugar consumption at normal dietary doses (e.g., 25% daily energy intake) per se-that is, the unique effect of sugar, especially in the solid form-may indeed not pose a health risk for individuals apart from the potential to reduce the overall dietary nutrient density, although newer evidence suggests "low" sugar intake (<5% daily energy intake) is just as likely to be associated with nutrient dilution. We argue the current public health recommendations to encourage the reduction of both solid and liquid forms of free sugar intake (e.g., sugar reformulation programs) should be revised due to the overextrapolation of results from SSBs studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rina Ruolin Yan
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Chi Bun Chan
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Buoncristiano M, Williams J, Simmonds P, Nurk E, Ahrens W, Nardone P, Rito AI, Rutter H, Bergh IH, Starc G, Jonsson KR, Spinelli A, Vandevijvere S, Mäki P, Milanović SM, Salanave B, Yardim MS, Hejgaard T, Fijałkowska A, Abdrakhmanova S, Abdurrahmonova Z, Duleva V, Farrugia Sant'Angelo V, García-Solano M, Gualtieri A, Gutiérrez-González E, Huidumac-Petrescu C, Hyska J, Kelleher CC, Kujundžić E, Peterkova V, Petrauskiene A, Pudule I, Sacchini E, Shengelia L, Tanrygulyyeva M, Taxová Braunerová R, Usupova Z, Maruszczak K, Ostojic SM, Spiroski I, Stojisavljević D, Wickramasinghe K, Breda J. Socioeconomic inequalities in overweight and obesity among 6- to 9-year-old children in 24 countries from the World Health Organization European region. Obes Rev 2021; 22 Suppl 6:e13213. [PMID: 34184399 DOI: 10.1111/obr.13213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Childhood overweight and obesity have significant short- and long-term negative impacts on children's health and well-being. These challenges are unequally distributed according to socioeconomic status (SES); however, previous studies have often lacked standardized and objectively measured data across national contexts to assess these differences. This study provides a cross-sectional picture of the association between SES and childhood overweight and obesity, based on data from 123,487 children aged 6-9 years in 24 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region. Overall, associations were found between overweight/obesity and the three SES indicators used (parental education, parental employment status, and family-perceived wealth). Our results showed an inverse relationship between the prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity and parental education in high-income countries, whereas the opposite relationship was observed in most of the middle-income countries. The same applied to family-perceived wealth, although parental employment status appeared to be less associated with overweight and obesity or not associated at all. This paper highlights the need for close attention to context when designing interventions, as the association between SES and childhood overweight and obesity varies by country economic development. Population-based interventions have an important role to play, but policies that target specific SES groups are also needed to address inequalities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Buoncristiano
- World Health Organization (WHO) European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, Division of Country Health Programmes, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Julianne Williams
- World Health Organization (WHO) European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, Division of Country Health Programmes, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Philippa Simmonds
- World Health Organization (WHO) European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, Division of Country Health Programmes, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Eha Nurk
- Department of Nutrition Research, National Institute for Health Development, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Wolfgang Ahrens
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology, BIPS, Bremen, Germany.,Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Paola Nardone
- National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità), Rome, Italy
| | - Ana Isabel Rito
- WHO/Europe Collaborating Center for Nutrition and Childhood Obesity - Food and Nutrition Department, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Harry Rutter
- Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Ingunn Holden Bergh
- Department of Health and Inequality, Division of Mental and Physical Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Gregor Starc
- Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Kenisha Russell Jonsson
- Department of Living Conditions and Lifestyle, Public Health Agency of Sweden, Solna, Sweden
| | - Angela Spinelli
- National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità), Rome, Italy
| | | | - Päivi Mäki
- Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sanja Musić Milanović
- Croatian Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia.,School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Benoît Salanave
- Departement of Non-Communicable Diseases and Traumatisms, Santé publique France, the French Public Health Agency, Saint Maurice, France.,Nutritional Surveillance and Epidemiology Team (ESEN), University Sorbonne Paris Nord, Bobigny, France
| | | | - Tatjana Hejgaard
- Health Promotion and Inequality, Danish Health Authority, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anna Fijałkowska
- Department of Cardiology, Institute of Mother and Child, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Shynar Abdrakhmanova
- Department of Science and Professional Development, National Center of Public Health of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan.,Kazakhstan School of Public Health, Kazakhstan's Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Zulfiya Abdurrahmonova
- Republican Centre for Nutrition, Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
| | - Vesselka Duleva
- Department Food and Nutrition, National Centre of Public Health and Analyses, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | | | - Marta García-Solano
- Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Constanta Huidumac-Petrescu
- National Center for Health Assessment and Promotion, National Institute of Public Health, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Jolanda Hyska
- Nutrition and Food Safety Sector, Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania
| | - Cecily C Kelleher
- College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Enisa Kujundžić
- Center for Health Ecology, Institute of Public Health, Podgorica, Montenegro
| | - Valentina Peterkova
- Institute of Paediatric Endocrinology, National Medical Research Centre for Endocrinology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Ausra Petrauskiene
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Iveta Pudule
- Department of Research and Health Statistics, Centre for Disease and Prevention Control, Riga, Latvia
| | - Elena Sacchini
- Health Authority, Ministry of Health, San Marino, San Marino
| | - Lela Shengelia
- Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health, National Center for Disease Control and Public Health of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Maya Tanrygulyyeva
- Scientific Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
| | | | - Zhamilya Usupova
- Republican Center for Health Promotion and Mass Communication, Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | | | - Sergej M Ostojic
- Biomedical Sciences Department, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Igor Spiroski
- Institute of Public Health, Skopje, North Macedonia.,Faculty of Medicine, SS. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, North Macedonia
| | - Dragana Stojisavljević
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Banja Luka, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.,Public Health Institute of Republic of Srpska, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Kremlin Wickramasinghe
- World Health Organization (WHO) European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, Division of Country Health Programmes, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - João Breda
- World Health Organization (WHO) European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, Division of Country Health Programmes, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Moscow, Russian Federation
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Thomas O, Sheehan M, Rayner M. Bans, Taxes or Product Placement? Applying the Liberal Perfectionist Proviso to Public Health Food Policy. Am J Bioeth 2021; 21:51-53. [PMID: 34399665 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2021.1952342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
|
9
|
Abstract
PurposeThis paper qualitatively explores arguments in the UK meat tax debate, including how they align with values from specific political ideologies and perspectives on sustainable food security.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a scoping media analysis of articles published over 1 year in six leading UK newspapers, followed by semi-structured interviews with ten key stakeholders in late 2019. The authors identified categories of arguments, distilled the core conflicts and analysed how arguments reflected different ideas about human nature, the role of the state and solutions to food system challenges.FindingsArguments were categorised into five major topics: climate change and environment; human health; effects on animals; fairness; and acceptability of government intervention. Pro-meat tax arguments often aligned with modern liberal ideology, and sometimes echoed demand restraint or food system transformation perspectives on sustainable food security. Arguments against meat taxes were more likely to align with the efficiency perspective or classical liberal ideology.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first interpretive analyses of this controversial suggested policy. Despite having similarities with other debates around taxation – particularly taxes on sugar sweetened beverages – the meat tax debate contains unique complexities due to the prominence of environmental arguments, and differing values pertaining to animal welfare and rights. This study highlights the need for policy research exploring values, in addition to quantitative evidence.
Collapse
|
10
|
Abstract
Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation has emerged as a priority policy for promoting health and funding investments in communities most affected by diet-related disease. There are now 8 U.S. jurisdictions and over 40 countries that have implemented SSB taxes. Evaluations show that these policies reduce SSB consumption and purchasing while raising revenues to fund public health, education, and equity. However, there have been few analyses of the ethical considerations of SSB taxation. Using a framework for evaluating the ethics of public health interventions, this paper considers the ethical aspects of SSB excise taxes with respect to: physical health, psychosocial well-being, equality, informed choice, liberty, social and cultural values, and responsibility. Available evidence suggests there is a strong ethical case for levying SSB excise taxes on manufacturers and distributors. SSB excise taxes reduce consumption and purchasing of SSBs and are expected to meaningfully reduce obesity and diet-related morbidity and mortality. Because SSB taxes are specific to a product and its manufacturers, they are unlikely to harm psychosocial health by stigmatizing people who are overweight. SSB excise taxes should lead to greater equality because the health and social benefits are progressive (i.e., low-income individuals are likely to accrue the largest benefits from the tax, even more so when revenues are spent on health and social equity). Meanwhile, the average consumer cost burden that would result if distributors raise SSB prices in reponse to the tax is minimally regressive. Regarding liberty, SSB taxes do not eliminate the option of buying SSBs, but if SSB distributors raise SSB prices, it becomes somewhat more expensive to continue purchasing the same amount of SSBs. Meanwhile, the taxes expand beverage options by funding drinking water availability and prompting industry to expand offerings of unsweetened drinks and SSBs containing less sugar. Furthermore, by averting poor health, SSB taxes should expand overall freedom to pursue one's goals. Informed choice could be facilitated by seeing a higher SSB shelf price (which indicates a drink contains added sugar) and exposure to nutrition education funded with tax revenues. SSB taxation is unlikely to negatively interfere with social or cultural values because taxation would not eliminate having SSBs for special occasions, and SSBs are not a staple of traditional diets. Lastly, SSB taxation attributes responsibility for health in a manner that reflects industry's contribution to obesity and the multisectoral solutions that are needed to prevent diet-related disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Falbe
- Human Development and Family Studies Program, Department of Human Ecology, UC Davis. 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA, 95616, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Goiana-da-Silva F, Cruz-E-Silva D, Bartlett O, Vasconcelos J, Morais Nunes A, Ashrafian H, Miraldo M, Machado MDC, Araújo F, Darzi A. The Ethics of Taxing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages to Improve Public Health. Front Public Health 2020; 8:110. [PMID: 32373570 PMCID: PMC7179756 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The World Health Organization highlights fiscal policies as priority interventions for the promotion of healthy eating in its Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases. The taxation of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) in particular is noted to be an effective measure, and SSBs taxes have already been implemented in several countries worldwide. However, although the evidence base suggests that this will be effective in helping to combat rising obesity rates, opponents of SSBs taxation argue that it is illiberal and paternalistic, and therefore should be avoided. Bioethical analysis may play an essential role in clarifying whether policymakers should adopt SSBs taxes as part of wider obesity strategy. In this article we argue that no single ethical theory can account for the complexities inherent in obesity prevention strategy, especially the liberal theories relied upon by opponents of SSBs taxation. We contend that a pluralist approach to the ethics of SSBs taxation must be adopted as the only suitable way of accounting for the multiple overlapping, and sometimes, conflicting factors that are relevant to determining the moral acceptability of such an intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Goiana-da-Silva
- Centre for Health Policy, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - David Cruz-E-Silva
- Centre for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research, IN+, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Joana Vasconcelos
- Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João, Serviço Nacional de Saúde, Oporto, Portugal
| | - Alexandre Morais Nunes
- Centro de Administração e Políticas Públicas, Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Hutan Ashrafian
- Centre for Health Policy, Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marisa Miraldo
- Department of Economics and Public Policy & Centre for Economics and Policy Innovation, Imperial College Business School, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Fernando Araújo
- Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade do Porto, Oporto, Portugal
| | - Ara Darzi
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Abstract
Population obesity and associated morbidities pose significant public health and economic burdens in the United Kingdom, United States, and globally. As a response, public health initiatives often seek to change individuals' unhealthy behavior, with the dual aims of improving their health and conserving health care resources. One such initiative-taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages-has sparked considerable ethical debate. Prominent in the debate are arguments seeking to demonstrate the supposed impermissibility of SSB taxes and similar policies on the grounds that they interfere with individuals' freedom and autonomy. Commentators have often assumed that a policy intended to restrict or change private individuals' consumption behavior will necessarily curtail freedom and, as a corollary, will undermine individuals' autonomy with respect to their consumption choices. Yet this assumption involves a conceptual mistake. To address the misunderstanding, it's necessary to attend to the differences between negative liberty, freedom of options, and autonomy. Ultimately, concerns about negative liberty, freedom, and autonomy do not provide strong grounds for opposing SSB taxes.
Collapse
|