The tax on sugary drinks may have prevented more than 5,000 cases of obesity every year among girls in their final year of primary school, research suggests.
Experts led by the University of Cambridge analysed the impact of the sugar tax, which came into force in 2018 as part of plans to tackle childhood obesity.
The tax has led to drinks companies reformulating their drinks to contain less sugar. Failure to do so leads to firms paying a levy per litre of drink.
Dr Nina Rogers from the Medical Research Council epidemiology unit at Cambridge University, and first author on the study, said: “We urgently need to find ways to tackle the increasing numbers of children living with obesity, otherwise we risk our children growing up to face significant health problems.
“That was one reason why the UK’s soft drinks industry levy was introduced and the evidence so far is promising.
“We’ve shown for the first time that it is likely to have helped prevent thousands of children each year becoming obese.
“It isn’t a straightforward picture, though, as it was mainly older girls who benefitted.
“But the fact that we saw the biggest difference among girls from areas of high deprivation is important and is a step towards reducing the health inequalities they face.”
The new study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, looked at the impact of the levy on Reception-age children (aged four and five) and those in year 6 (aged 10 and 11) 19 months after the tax came into force.
Researchers also tracked changes in levels of obesity in children between 2014 and 2020, comparing what would have happened if the levy had not been introduced.
The data found that the sugar tax seems to have had a measurable effect on older girls’ obesity levels, leading to an 8% drop in obesity in Year 6 – preventing 5,234 cases of obesity per year in this group alone. (ITV)