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Implementing a 20% excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in India is projected to reduce overweight and obesity prevalence by 3.0% and type 2 diabetes incidence by 1.6% over a decade (2014–2023).

For policymakers in India, implementing a 20% tax on sugary drinks is a viable strategy to curb the rising tide of obesity and diabetes. The model suggests this policy will be most effective for young rural men, who see the largest relative health benefits, contradicting the fear that such taxes only help the wealthy or urban dwellers.

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The 20% SSB tax was anticipated to reduce overweight and obesity prevalence by 3.0% (95% CI 1.6%–5.9%) and type 2 diabetes incidence by 1.6% (95% CI 1.2%–1.9%) among various Indian subpopulations over the period 2014–2023
Sanjay Basu et al. · PLoS Medicine · 2014

Why this rating

The study is a microsimulation model based on observational data; it is not a randomized controlled trial but uses validated elasticities and demographic data.

Source

Averting Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in India through Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxation: An Economic-Epidemiologic Modeling Study

Sanjay Basu et al. · PLoS Medicine · 2014

DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001582

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