Does the Prevalence of Obesity Affect the Demand for Soft Drinks? Evidence from Cross-Country Panel Data.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ferretti F
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8775901 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:ObjectiveOur goal is to provide estimates of the price elasticity of demand for cigarettes in Europe as a basis for public health policy on tobacco taxation.MethodsWe use secondary data on cigarette retail sales including illicit trade, prices, tobacco control measures and income from 2010 to 2020 of 27 European countries from Euromonitor, the WHO, the Tobacco Control Scale and the World Bank. We estimate the price elasticity of demand using instrumental variable regressions as well as panel data regressions taking into account that prices and quantities are determined simultaneously in the market.ResultsBased on cross-section data at the country level, we find that during the decade from 2010 to 2020, the demand for cigarettes in Europe has become neither more nor less elastic. Our estimates of the price elasticity based on panel data are around -0.4 (95% CI -0.67 to -0.24), in line with previous estimates for high-income countries. Furthermore, our analysis shows that estimates of the price elasticity of demand that are based on data including illicit trade tend to be lower. This has also been found in the previous literature.ConclusionsBy providing state-of-the-art, up-to-date estimates of the price elasticity of demand that are in line with the previous literature, we show that taxation can still be a cost-effective tobacco policy to reduce cigarette consumption and thus, the burden of smoking.
| S-EPMC10277038 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceSoft drink consumption is associated with weight gain in children and adolescents, but little is known about the association between soft drink consumption and prevalence of the overweight and obesity in adolescents.ObjectiveTo investigate the association of soft drink consumption with overweight and obesity in adolescents enrolled in school (hereafter, school-going adolescents) using country-level and individual-level data.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional study used data from 3 cross-sectional studies including 107 countries and regions that participated in the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (2009-2017), the European Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study (2017-2018), and the US Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2019).ExposureDaily soft drink consumption (consuming soft drinks 1 or more times per day or not).Main outcome and measureOverweight and obesity defined by the World Health Organization Growth Reference Data.ResultsAmong the 107 countries and regions, 65 were low- and middle-income, and 42 were high-income countries and regions, with a total of 405 528 school-going adolescents (mean [SD] age, 14.2 [1.7] years; 196 147 [48.4%] males). The prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescent students varied from 3.3% (95% CI, 2.6 to 4.1) in Cambodia to 64.0% (95% CI, 57.0 to 71.6) in Niue, and the prevalence of adolescent students consuming soft drinks 1 or more times per day varied from 3.3% (95% CI, 2.9 to 3.7) in Iceland to 79.6% (95% CI, 74.0 to 85.3) in Niue. There was a positive correlation between the prevalence of daily soft drink consumption and the prevalence of overweight and obesity (R, 0.44; P < .001). The pooled analysis using individual-level data also showed a statistically significant association between daily soft drink consumption and overweight and obesity (daily soft drink consumption vs nondaily soft drink consumption), with an odds ratio of 1.14 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.21) among school-going adolescents.Conclusions and relevanceIn this study of 107 countries and regions, the prevalence of daily consumption of soft drinks was associated with the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescent students. Our results, in conjunction with other evidence, suggest that reducing soft drink consumption should be a priority in combating adolescent overweight and obesity.
| S-EPMC10366702 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Economic interventions have social consequences. In this paper, we explore one such relationship, between microfinance intensity and social distrust levels reported by the low-income people. We find a significant association between microfinance intensity in a country and distrust among the poor as well as ultra-poor in cross-section using World Values Survey & European Values Survey (WVS-EVS) Wave 7 (2017-2022). We supplement these findings using empirical Bayes on a panel extending back from 7th to the 4th WVS wave (1999-2004). To deal with potential endogeneity, we run 2SLS as well as weak instruments-robust conditional instrumental variable tests and find evidence showing microfinance prevalence intensity affects distrust levels among the poor and ultra-poor households. We find no association between microfinance and distrust levels in the rich in any of the tests, potentially because the rich are not exposed to microfinance.
| S-EPMC9994719 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo determine changes in household purchases of drinks and confectionery one year after implementation of the UK soft drinks industry levy (SDIL).DesignControlled interrupted time series analysis.ParticipantsMembers of a panel of households reporting their purchasing on a weekly basis to a market research company (average weekly number of participants n=22 183), March 2014 to March 2019.InterventionA two tiered tax levied on manufacturers of soft drinks, announced in March 2016 and implemented in April 2018. Drinks with ≥8 g sugar/100 mL (high tier) are taxed at £0.24/L and drinks with ≥5 to <8 g sugar/100 mL (low tier) are taxed at £0.18/L. Drinks with <5 g sugar/100 mL (no levy) are not taxed.Main outcome measuresAbsolute and relative differences in the volume of, and amount of sugar in, soft drinks categories, all soft drinks combined, alcohol, and confectionery purchased per household per week one year after implementation of the SDIL compared with trends before the announcement of the SDIL.ResultsIn March 2019, compared with the counterfactual estimated from pre-announcement trends, purchased volume of drinks in the high levy tier decreased by 155 mL (95% confidence interval 240.5 to 69.5 mL) per household per week, equivalent to 44.3% (95% confidence interval 59.9% to 28.7%), and sugar purchased in these drinks decreased by 18.0 g (95% confidence interval 32.3 to 3.6 g), or 45.9% (68.8% to 22.9%). Purchases of low tier drinks decreased by 177.3 mL (225.3 to 129.3 mL) per household per week, or 85.9% (95.1% to 76.7%), with a 12.5 g (15.4 to 9.5 g) reduction in sugar in these drinks, equivalent to 86.2% (94.2% to 78.1%). Despite no overall change in volume of no levy drinks purchased, there was an increase in sugar purchased of 15.3 g (12.6 to 17.9 g) per household per week, equivalent to 166.4% (94.2% to 238.5%). When all soft drinks were combined, the volume of drinks purchased did not change, but sugar decreased by 29.5 g (55.8 to 3.1 g), or 9.8% (17.9% to 1.8%). Purchases of confectionery and alcoholic drinks did not change.ConclusionsCompared with trends before the SDIL was announced, one year after implementation, the volume of soft drinks purchased did not change. The amount of sugar in those drinks was 30 g, or 10%, lower per household per week-equivalent to one 250 mL serving of a low tier drink per person per week. The SDIL might benefit public health without harming industry.Trial registrationISRCTN18042742.
| S-EPMC7944367 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Recent years have seen impressive advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and this has stoked renewed concern about the impact of technological progress on the labor market, including on worker displacement. This paper looks at the possible links between AI and employment in a cross-country context. It adapts the AI occupational impact measure developed by Felten, Raj and Seamans-an indicator measuring the degree to which occupations rely on abilities in which AI has made the most progress-and extends it to 23 OECD countries. Overall, there appears to be no clear relationship between AI exposure and employment growth. However, in occupations where computer use is high, greater exposure to AI is linked to higher employment growth. The paper also finds suggestive evidence of a negative relationship between AI exposure and growth in average hours worked among occupations where computer use is low. One possible explanation is that partial automation by AI increases productivity directly as well as by shifting the task composition of occupations toward higher value-added tasks. This increase in labor productivity and output counteracts the direct displacement effect of automation through AI for workers with good digital skills, who may find it easier to use AI effectively and shift to non-automatable, higher-value added tasks within their occupations. The opposite could be true for workers with poor digital skills, who may not be able to interact efficiently with AI and thus reap all potential benefits of the technology.
| S-EPMC9127971 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A worldwide event like the 2020 Coronavirus outbreak can only reinforce the interest in modelling trade diversification as a key factor in countries' vulnerability to external shocks. This paper adopts a detailed relative framework to study the determinants of product-level export variety in a large bilateral panel of developing and developed economies (16,770 country pairs in the period 1988-2014). We find that country pairs characterized by large differentials in productivity and in the makeup of the labour force differ in export variety patterns. This result holds after controlling for other endowments and for trade costs. Further, productivity plays a significant role in the reduction of export variety dissimilarities between countries belonging to different income groups. Hence, without successful technological convergence the low-income economies will not be able to reduce their exposure to export risk.
| S-EPMC7364148 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThere has been much debate about the effectiveness of lockdown measures in containing COVID-19, and their appropriateness given the economic and social cost they entail. To the best of our knowledge, no existing contribution to the literature has attempted to gauge the effectiveness of lockdown measures over time in a longitudinal cross-country perspective.ObjectivesThis paper aims to fill the gap in the literature by assessing, at an international level, the effect of lockdown measures (or the lack of such measures) on the numbers of new infections. Given this policy's expected change in effectiveness over time, we also measure the effect of having a lockdown implemented over a given number of days (from 7 to 20 days).MethodsWe pursue our objectives by means of a quantitative panel analysis, building a longitudinal dataset with observations from countries all over the world, and estimating the impact of lockdown via feasible generalized least squares fixed effect, random effects, generalized estimating equation, and hierarchical linear models.ResultsOur results show that lockdown is effective in reducing the number of new cases in the countries that implement it, compared with those countries that do not. This is especially true around 10 days after the implementation of the policy. Its efficacy continues to grow up to 20 days after implementation.ConclusionResults suggest that lockdown is effective in reducing the R0, i.e. the number of people infected by each infected person, and that, unlike what has been suggested in previous analyses, its efficacy continues to hold 20 days after the introduction of the policy.
| S-EPMC7268966 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), announced in March 2016 and implemented in April 2018, is a fiscal policy to incentivise reformulation of eligible soft drinks. We aimed to explore perceptions of sugar, sugary drinks and the SDIL among adolescents in the UK post-implementation.Methods23 adolescents aged 11-14 years participated in four focus groups in 2018-2019. A semi-structured topic guide elicited relevant perspectives and included a group task to rank a selection of UK soft drinks based on their sugar content. Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis was used to undertake inductive analysis.ResultsFour main themes were present: 1) Sweetened drinks are bad for you, but some are worse than others; 2) Awareness of the SDIL and ambivalence towards it 3) The influence of drinks marketing: value, pricing, and branding; 4) Openness to population-level interventions. Young people had knowledge of the health implications of excess sugar consumption, which did not always translate to their own consumption. Ambivalence and a mixed awareness surrounding the SDIL was also present. Marketing and parental and school restriction influenced their consumption patterns, as did taste, enjoyment and consuming drinks for functional purposes (e.g., to give them energy). Openness to future population-level interventions to limit consumption was also present.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that adolescents are accepting of interventions that require little effort from young people in order to reduce their sugar consumption. Further education-based interventions are likely to be unhelpful, in contexts where adolescents understand the negative consequences of excess sugar and SSB consumption.
| S-EPMC7614551 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In cross-country skiing, athletes use different techniques akin to locomotor gaits such as walking and running. Transitions between these techniques generally depend on speed and incline, in a similar way as walk-run transitions. Previous studies have examined the roles of incline, speed, and mechanical power demand in triggering transitions. However, it is still not known if mechanical power demand, as an isolated factor, has any role on the choice of technique. The aim of this study was to examine the isolated role of mechanical power on the choice of technique during classic cross-country roller skiing by changing mechanical power demand at fixed speeds and inclines. Six male and eight female athletes performed classical roller skiing on a treadmill at the four combinations of two speeds (10 and 12 km h-1) and two inclines (5 and 8%) while additional resistive forces were applied via a weight-pulley system. Athletes were free to choose between three techniques: double poling, double poling with kick, and diagonal stride. Power and resistive forces at transition were compared using repeated measure (2x2) ANOVA. At a given incline, technique transitions occurred at similar additional resistive force magnitudes at the two speeds. On the steeper incline, the transitions occurred at smaller additional resistive forces. Importantly, transitions were not triggered at similar mechanical power demands across the different incline/speed/resistive force conditions. This suggests that mechanical power itself is not a key technique transition trigger. Both total and additional resistive force (i.e., the manipulated mechanism to regulate power) may be transition triggers when incline is fixed and speed is changed. In combination with previous findings, the current results suggest that no single factor triggers technique transitions in classic cross-country skiing.
| S-EPMC10065268 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is positively associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The World Health Organization recommends that member states implement effective taxes on SSBs to reduce consumption. The United Kingdom Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) is a two-tiered tax, announced in March 2016 and implemented in April 2018. Drinks with ≥8 g of sugar per 100 ml (higher levy tier) are taxed at £0.24 per litre, drinks with ≥5 to <8 g of sugar per 100 ml (lower levy tier) are taxed at £0.18 per litre, and drinks with <5 g sugar per 100 ml (no levy) are not taxed. Milk-based drinks, pure fruit juices, drinks sold as powder, and drinks with >1.2% alcohol by volume are exempt. We aimed to determine if the announcement of the SDIL was associated with anticipatory changes in purchases of soft drinks prior to implementation of the SDIL in April 2018. We explored differences in the volume of and amount of sugar in household purchases of drinks in each levy tier at 2 years post announcement.Methods and findingsWe used controlled interrupted time series to compare observed changes associated with the announcement of the SDIL to the counterfactual scenario of no announcement. We used data from Kantar Worldpanel, a commercial household purchasing panel with approximately 30,000 British members that includes linked nutritional data on purchases. We conducted separate analyses for drinks liable for the SDIL in the higher, lower, and no-levy tiers controlling with household purchase volumes of toiletries. At 2 years post announcement, there was no difference in volume of or sugar from purchases of higher-levy-tier drinks compared to the counterfactual of no announcement. In contrast, a reversal of the existing upward trend in volume (ml) of and amount of sugar (g) in purchases of lower-levy-tier drinks was seen. These changes led to a -96.1 ml (95% confidence interval [CI] -144.2 to -48.0) reduction in volume and -6.4 g (95% CI -9.8 to -3.1) reduction in sugar purchased in these drinks per household per week. There was a reversal of the existing downward trend in the amount of sugar in household purchases of the no-levy drinks but no change in volume purchased. At 2 years post announcement, these changes led to a 6.1 g (95% CI 3.9-8.2) increase in sugar purchased in these drinks per household per week. There was no evidence that volume of or amount of sugar in purchases of all drinks combined was different from the counterfactual. This is an observational study, and changes other than the SDIL may have been responsible for the results reported. Purchases consumed outside of the home were not accounted for.ConclusionsThe announcement of the UK SDIL was associated with reductions in volume and sugar purchased in lower-levy-tier drinks before implementation. These were offset by increases in sugar purchased from no-levy drinks. These findings may reflect reformulation of drinks from the lower levy to no-levy tier with removal of some but not all sugar, alongside changes in consumer attitudes and beliefs.Trial registrationISRCTN Registry ISRCTN18042742.
| S-EPMC7660521 | biostudies-literature