The Philadelphia Beverage Tax and Pediatric Weight Outcomes.

Importance: Taxation of sweetened beverages is a proposed strategy to reduce excess sugar consumption. The association of such taxes with health outcomes is not well studied. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the largest US city with a beverage tax.

Associations of the Philadelphia sweetened beverage tax with changes in adult body weight: an interrupted time series analysis.

Background: Sweetened beverage taxes are associated with large decreases in sugar-sweetened beverage sales, but their effects on weight outcomes are unclear. We examined associations of the 2017 Philadelphia beverage tax with changes in adult weight outcomes.

Methods: We obtained electronic health record data on adults 18-65 years old in Philadelphia (intervention) and other areas of Pennsylvania and New Jersey (control) from 2014 to 2019.

Comparison of Sales From Vending Machines With 4 Different Food and Beverage Messages: A Randomized Trial.

Importance: Point-of-sale food messaging can encourage healthier purchases, but no studies have directly compared multiple interventions in the field.

Objective: To examine which of 4 food and beverage messages would increase healthier vending machine purchases.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized trial assessed 13 months (February 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020) of vending sales data from 267 machines and 1065 customer purchase assessments from vending machines on government property in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Beverage Tax's Impact on Beverage Ad Expenditures and Number of Ads Purchased.

Introduction: On January 1, 2017, Philadelphia implemented a beverage excise tax. The study's objective was to determine whether beverage advertising expenditures and the number of beverage ads purchased changed in Philadelphia compared to Baltimore because of this tax.

Methods: Monthly beverage ad expenditures and the number of beverage ads purchased by brand from January 2016 through December 2019 were obtained.

Impact of the Philadelphia Beverage Tax on Perceived Beverage Healthfulness, Tax Awareness, and Tax Opinions.

Objective: To assess the impact of the Philadelphia Beverage Tax on perceived beverage healthfulness, and awareness and opinions of the tax.

Design: Natural experiment SETTING: Small independent stores in Philadelphia (n = 61) and Baltimore (untaxed control site; n = 65) PARTICIPANTS: Shoppers in Philadelphia (n = 2,731) and Baltimore (n = 4,600) pre- and post-tax implementation.

Main Outcome Measures: Perceptions of 4 beverages (unhealthy vs healthy/neutral), tax awareness, and tax opinions (oppose vs favor/neutral).

The longitudinal association between caregivers' perceived competence and autonomy and children's dietary consumption before and 10 months into the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful, potentially affecting caregivers' feeding choices. Caregivers play a role in shaping children's diets, yet few studies have explored how their competence and autonomy, defined by the Self-Determination Theory, impact children's diets. We examined the relationship between caregivers' autonomy and competence and their feeding practices before and during the first year of the pandemic.

Social, clinical, and policy implications of ultra-processed food addiction.

Conceptualising ultra-processed foods high in carbohydrates and fats as addictive substances can contribute to efforts to improve health, argue

Advertising and Stocking at Small Retailers: A Sweetened Beverage Excise Tax in Philadelphia.

Introduction: In 2017, Philadelphia enacted a $0.015 per ounce excise tax on SBs that covered both sugar-sweetened beverages and artificially-sweetened beverages, which reduced purchasing and consumption. This study assessed whether the tax also changed beverage advertising or stocking practices that could influence consumer behavior among stores in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Philadelphia-adjacent counties not subject to the tax.

Food Is Medicine: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association.

Unhealthy diets are a major impediment to achieving a healthier population in the United States. Although there is a relatively clear sense of what constitutes a healthy diet, most of the US population does not eat healthy food at rates consistent with the recommended clinical guidelines. An abundance of barriers, including food and nutrition insecurity, how food is marketed and advertised, access to and affordability of healthy foods, and behavioral challenges such as a focus on immediate versus delayed gratification, stand in the way of healthier dietary patterns for many Americans.

Effects of 4 Interpretive Front-of-Package Labeling Systems on Hypothetical Beverage and Snack Selections: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Policymakers and researchers have proposed a variety of interpretative front-of-package food labeling systems, but it remains unclear which is most effective at encouraging people to choose healthier foods and beverages, including among people with less education.

Objective: To test the effects of 4 interpretative front-of-package food labeling systems on the healthfulness of beverage and snack selections, overall and by education level.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized clinical trial of a national sample of US adults 18 years and older was conducted online from November 16 to December 3, 2022.

An inconvenient truth: Difficult problems rarely have easy solutions.

Individual-level interventions are often interesting and easy to implement, but are unfortunately ill-equipped to solve most major global problems (e.g., climate change, financial insecurity, unhealthy eating).

Philadelphia Beverage Tax and Association With Prices, Purchasing, and Individual-Level Substitution in a National Pharmacy Chain.

Importance: Taxes on sweetened beverages are being implemented around the globe; an understanding of these taxes on individual-level behavior is necessary.

Objective: To evaluate the degree to which the sweetened beverage tax in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was associated with changes in beverage prices and individual-level purchasing over time at a national pharmacy chain in Philadelphia compared with Baltimore, Maryland.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Using a difference-in-differences approach and generalized linear mixed models, this cohort study examined beverage purchases made by loyalty cardholders at a national chain pharmacy retailer with stores in Philadelphia and Baltimore (control city) from before tax to after tax.

Online RCT of Icon Added-Sugar Warning Labels for Restaurant Menus.

Introduction: To reduce added-sugar consumption, jurisdictions are considering requiring restaurant menu labels to identify high-added-sugar items. This study examined the impacts of added-sugar warning labels on hypothetical choices, knowledge of items' added-sugar content, and perceptions of high-added-sugar items.

Study Design: The design was an online RCT.

Effect of Financial Incentives and Default Options on Food Choices of Adults With Low Income in Online Retail Settings: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Despite recent growth in online redemption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, no previous work has tested the impact of economic and behavioral economic strategies on food purchasing behaviors in an online grocery retail setting among adults with low income.

Objective: To examine the extent to which financial incentives and default shopping cart options influence fruit and vegetable purchases.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized clinical trial used an experimental online grocery store for adults who currently or have ever received SNAP benefits.

Changes in Dental Outcomes After Implementation of the Philadelphia Beverage Tax.

Introduction: Beverage taxes are associated with declines in sugar-sweetened beverage sales and consumption, but few studies have evaluated the associations of these taxes with health outcomes. This study analyzed changes in dental decay after the implementation of the Philadelphia sweetened beverage tax.

Methods: Electronic dental record data were obtained on 83,260 patients living in Philadelphia and control areas from 2014 to 2019.

Naming Matters: Prompting Smaller Portions in an Online RCT.

Introduction: Large portions, which can lead people to eat more, are becoming increasingly common in U.S. restaurants.

Age-Specific Differences in Online Grocery Shopping Behaviors and Attitudes among Adults with Low Income in the United States in 2021.

Background: Online grocery shopping has surged in popularity, but we know little about online grocery shopping behaviors and attitudes of adults with low income, including differences by age. Methods: From October to November 2021, we used a survey research firm to recruit a convenience sample of adults who have ever received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (n = 3526). Participants completed an online survey designed to assess diet and online food shopping behaviors.