A model of policies directed at youth sugar-sweetened beverage consumption

Research Question
Develop a simulation model of policies directed at curtailing the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), including imposing a soda tax (in school only or society wide) and implementation of school nutrition policies limiting SSB availability (with and without school education policies).

Modeling Approach
The model will show the effect on youth obesity overweight and obesity. The project involves the following:

  1. Develop estimates of policy effect size from our literature review (forthcoming in Advances in Nutrition) to examine the effect of soda taxes and school nutrition policies on SSB consumption by youth, with consideration of differences by age and gender and initial BMI.
  2. Model the impact of policies on SSB consumption in school and outside of school and how SSB consumption affects overall caloric intake and physical activity.
  3. Model the transition of youth by age and gender from birth to age 19 tracking the average BMI and distribution of BMI (% overweight, percent obese based on CDC percentiles), and show how policies affect BMI and its distribution.

Principal Investigator

David Levy, PhD
Senior Scientist
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation