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.

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).

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.

Sustained Impact of the Philadelphia Beverage Tax on Beverage Prices and Sales Over 2 Years.

Introduction: It is unclear whether changes in beverage price and sales after beverage tax implementation can be sustained long term. This study aims to quantify the changes in beverage prices and sales in large retailers 2 years after the implementation of the 1.5 cents per ounce Philadelphia beverage tax.

Purchases of Nontaxed Foods, Beverages, and Alcohol in a Longitudinal Cohort After Implementation of the Philadelphia Beverage Tax.

Background: Evidence suggests that sweetened beverage taxes reduce taxed beverage purchases, but few studies have used individual-level data to assess whether these taxes affect purchases of nontaxed foods, beverages, and alcohol. Additionally, research has not examined whether sweetened beverage taxes influence restaurant purchases.

Objectives: We assessed changes in individuals' purchases of taxed beverage types; low-calorie/low-added-sugar nontaxed beverages; high-calorie/high-added-sugar nontaxed beverages, foods, and alcohol; and beverages from restaurants following implementation of the 1.

Analysis of Public Testimony About Philadelphia's Sweetened Beverage Tax.

Introduction: Although interest in beverage taxes has increased in recent years, industry opposition and other challenges have limited their spread in the U.S. Because beverage tax proposals are often unsuccessful, there is limited empirical evidence to inform advocacy efforts.

A qualitative study on retailer experiences with Philadelphia's sweetened beverage tax.

The Philadelphia Beverage Tax was implemented on January 1, 2017 for some sugar- and artificially-sweetened beverages. Few qualitative studies have assessed retailers' reactions to beverage taxes. We aimed to understand food retailers' knowledge and attitudes about the Philadelphia beverage tax and how they responded to it with the goal of informing the framing and implementation of beverage taxes in other interested jurisdictions.

Association of a Sweetened Beverage Tax With Purchases of Beverages and High-Sugar Foods at Independent Stores in Philadelphia.

Importance: The relationship between a sweetened beverage tax and changes in the prices and purchases of beverages and high-sugar food is understudied in the long term and in small independent food retail stores where sugar-sweetened beverages are among the most commonly purchased items.

Objective: To examine whether a 1.5 cent-per-fluid-ounce excise tax on sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was associated with sustained changes in beverage prices and purchases, as well as calories purchased from beverages and high-sugar foods, over 2 years at small independent stores.

No Evidence of Food or Alcohol Substitution in Response to a Sweetened Beverage Tax.

Introduction: Evidence suggests real-world beverage taxes reduce sweetened beverage purchases, but it is unknown if consumers consequently increase food or alcohol purchases. This study examines whether Philadelphia's 1.5 cents/ounce beverage tax was associated with substitution to 3 kinds of hypothesized substitutes: snacks, nontaxed beverage concentrates, and alcohol.

The Association Of A Sweetened Beverage Tax With Changes In Beverage Prices And Purchases At Independent Stores.

In January 2017 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, implemented an excise tax of 1.5 cents per ounce on beverages sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners. Small independent stores are an important yet understudied setting.

One-year changes in sugar-sweetened beverage consumers' purchases following implementation of a beverage tax: a longitudinal quasi-experiment.

Background: Few longitudinal studies examine the response to beverage taxes, especially among regular sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumers.

Objective: This study aimed to examine changes in objectively measured beverage purchases associated with the Philadelphia beverage tax on sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages.

Methods: A longitudinal quasi-experiment was conducted with adult sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumers in Philadelphia (n = 306) and Baltimore (n = 297; a nontaxed comparison city).

Hydrate Philly: An Intervention to Increase Water Access and Appeal in Recreation Centers.

Introduction: Previous interventions to increase water access and consumption have focused on school settings, have shown mixed results on sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, and have rarely addressed tap water safety. Our randomized controlled trial examined how improving access and appeal of water in recreation centers in low-income neighborhoods affected counts of SSBs carried by youth attending summer camp.

Methods: Recreation centers (N = 28) matched on their characteristics were randomly assigned to control or intervention groups.

Tobacco Retail Licensing and Density 3 Years After License Regulations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2012-2019).

To evaluate changes in licensed tobacco retailers and retailer density 5 years before and 3 years after novel tobacco retailer licensing regulations were implemented in a large, urban area. We used administrative tobacco license data (n = 23 806 licenses, 2012-2019) to calculate (1) annual retailer density by district (n = 18), (2) density by district and school income status, and (3) retailers within 500 feet of schools (n = 673) before and after regulations. Observed tobacco retailer density declined by 20.

Online Randomized Controlled Trials of Restaurant Sodium Warning Labels.

Introduction: Policymakers are interested in requiring chain restaurants to display sodium warning labels on menus to reduce sodium consumption. This study examined the influence of label design on consumers' hypothetical choices, meal perceptions, and knowledge.

Study Design: Four sequential, randomized, controlled online experiments were conducted.

Association of a Beverage Tax on Sugar-Sweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages With Changes in Beverage Prices and Sales at Chain Retailers in a Large Urban Setting.

Importance: Policy makers have implemented beverage taxes to generate revenue and reduce consumption of sweetened drinks. In January 2017, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became the second US city to implement a beverage excise tax (1.5 cents per ounce).

Association of a Beverage Tax on Sugar-Sweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages With Changes in Beverage Prices and Sales at Chain Retailers in a Large Urban Setting.

Importance: Policy makers have implemented beverage taxes to generate revenue and reduce consumption of sweetened drinks. In January 2017, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became the second US city to implement a beverage excise tax (1.5 cents per ounce).

Unemployment claims in Philadelphia one year after implementation of the sweetened beverage tax.

Objectives: Possible adverse economic impacts of sweetened drink taxes are a key concern for numerous stakeholders. This study examined changes in unemployment benefit claims filings in Philadelphia compared to its neighboring counties two years prior to and 14 months post implementation of a 1.5 cents per ounce excise tax on sugar- and artificially-sweetened beverages.

A randomized trial of a multi-level intervention to increase water access and appeal in community recreation centers.

Introduction: Improving children's tap water intake and reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is beneficial for health and health equity, particularly in low-income communities and communities of color. Existing community level interventions to improve the intake of tap water have predominantly occurred in schools and have focused on promoting water consumption in cafeterias during lunch or snack periods.

Methods: The "Hydrate Philly" intervention was developed to target multiple environmental and social factors to improve tap water consumption in community recreation centers in low-income communities: replacing old and unappealing water fountains with appealing water-bottle-filling "hydration stations", conducting water safety testing and publicizing results, disseminating reusable water bottles, promoting tap water, and discouraging SSB consumption.

Title: efficacy of a food parenting intervention for mothers with low income to reduce preschooler's solid fat and added sugar intakes: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Few interventions have shown efficacy to influence key energy balance behaviors during the preschool years.

Objective: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was used to evaluate the efficacy of Food, Fun, and Families (FFF), a 12 week authoritative food parenting intervention for mothers with low-income levels, to reduce preschool-aged children's intake of calories from solid fat and added sugar (SoFAS).

Methods: Mothers were randomly assigned to receive FFF (n = 59) or to a delayed treatment control (n = 60).

Tracking and Variability in Childhood Levels of BMI: The Bogalusa Heart Study.

Objective: Although the tracking of BMI levels from childhood to adulthood has been examined, there is little information on the within-person variability of BMI.

Methods: Longitudinal data from 11,591 schoolchildren, 3,096 of whom were reexamined as adults, were used to explore the tracking and variability of BMI levels. This article focuses on changes in age-adjusted levels of BMI.

Characteristics of tobacco purchases in urban corner stores.

Introduction: To examine the prevalence and patterns of tobacco purchases at low-income, urban corner stores.

Methods: Data on tobacco products and other purchases were collected through direct observation of customers' purchases (n=6369) at 120 urban corner stores in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from April to September 2012.

Results: Overall 13% of corner store purchases included tobacco products.

The role of obesity in the relation between total water intake and urine osmolality in US adults, 2009-2012.

Background: Adequate water intake is critical to physiologic and cognitive functioning. Although water requirements increase with body size, it remains unclear whether weight status modifies the relation between water intake and hydration status.

Objective: We examined how the association between water intake and urine osmolality, which is a hydration biomarker, varied by weight status.

The role of prescription medications in the association of self-reported sleep duration and obesity in U.S. adults, 2007-2012.

Objective: Previous research has not investigated the role of prescription medication in sleep-obesity associations despite the fact that 56% of U.S. adults take at least one prescription medication.

Reliability of 24-Hour Dietary Recalls as a Measure of Diet in African-American Youth.

Background: Although it is a common practice to estimate dietary intake using three random 24-hour dietary recalls, some studies have suggested up to nine may be necessary to reliably estimate usual intake in youth. Given the resulting increase in resources and participant burden, more research is needed to determine whether this method is reliable, particularly in African-American youth at increased risk for obesity and other chronic diseases.

Objective: This study estimated the reliability with which 24-hour dietary recalls measure energy, fat, fruit, and vegetable intake in African-American youth and examined how reliability changes as a function of the number of recalls.