Physician groups call for taxes on sugary drinks, as they aim to reduce consumption in children
FOX 35 ORLANDO - New policies -- at a federal, state, and local level -- are being recommended as sugary drink consumption increasingly causes harm to our children's health.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Heart Association (AHA) released policy recommendations this month on how to reduce sugary drink consumption in children and adolescents. They encourage these additional policy recommendations be implemented to improve child nutrition.
The policy recommendations, which target federal, state, and local policy makers, include:
- Increasing the price of sugary drinks with an excise tax.
- Federal and state governments supporting efforts to decrease sugary drink marketing to children and adolescents.
- Federal nutrition assistance programs aiming to ensure access to healthful food and beverages, while discouraging the consumption of sugary drinks.
- Children, adolescents, and their families having ready access to credible nutrition information, including on nutrition labels, restaurant menus, and advertisements.
- Policies that make healthy beverages the default are widely adopted and followed.
- Hospitals serving as a model and implementing policies to limit or disincentivize purchase of sugary drinks.
The AAP and AHA does recommend that these policies are implemented in conjunction with local pediatrician support.
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They go on to state that consumption of added sugars, especially in sugary drinks, impose a significant health risk to children and adolescents. For example, there is strong evidence that supports the association of added sugars with increased cardiovascular disease risk through increased caloric intake, increased adiposity, and dyslipidemia.
To read the full release by the AAP and AHA, visit the AAP News & Journals Gateway website.
This story was written in Orlando, Florida.