New Study by Jones-Smith, Knox, Godwin, and Co-authors Evaluates Seattle’s Sweetened Beverage Tax and Changes in Children’s Body Mass Index
Posted: 6/12/2024 (CSDE Research)
CSDE Affiliates Jessica Jones-Smith (Health Systems and Population Health, Epidemiology), Melissa Knox (Economics), and CSDE Demographer Jessica Godwin released an article with co-authors in JAMA Network Open, titled “Sweetened Beverage Tax Implementation and Change in Body Mass Index Among Children in Seattle“. This study sought to evaluate the association between the Seattle sweetened beverage tax and change in body mass index (BMI) among children. In this cohort study of 6313 children living in Seattle or a nearby comparison area, a statistically significant reduction in BMI was observed for children in Seattle after the implementation of a sweetened beverage tax compared with well-matched children living in nontaxed comparison areas. These results suggest that the sweetened beverage tax in Seattle may be associated with a small but reasonable reduction in BMI among children living within the Seattle city limits.