Perceptions of the seriousness of major public health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in seven middle-income countries.

Introduction: Public perception of the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to six other major public health problems (alcoholism and drug use, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, lung cancer and respiratory diseases caused by air pollution and smoking, and water-borne diseases like diarrhea) is unclear. We designed a survey to examine this issue using YouGov's internet panels in seven middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America in early 2022.

Methods: Respondents rank ordered the seriousness of the seven health problems using a repeated best-worst question format.

The Potential Effect of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax on Obesity Prevalence in Tanzania.

Background: Obesity and the associated non-communicable diseases contribute significantly to the disease burden in Tanzania. Obesity can be attributed to the consumption of Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSB) due to their high sugar content that leads to high caloric intakes. This study estimates the effect of SSB tax on the prevalence of obesity.