Sugary drinks are one of the top sources of calories in the American diet and are a big contributor to the obesity epidemic.
Young people are exposed to a massive amount of marketing for sugary drinks, such as sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, and fruit drinks. Despite industry pledges to market fewer unhealthy beverages to children, this report finds there is more—not less—advertising for sugary drinks overall.
Although many schools are making an effort to remove regular soda, other sugary drinks remain widely available in vending machines, school stores, and other locations. Sports drinks are by far the most commonly offered type of sugary drink available in U.S. middle and high schools.
A nationwide, penny-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would prevent thousands of heart attacks, strokes, and cases of diabetes, and help avoid billions of dollars in medical costs.
In the middle of a national obesity epidemic, many sports drinks sold in the United States contain high amounts of sugar, adding more calories to youths’ diets.
Over the past 30 years, U.S. children and adolescents have dramatically increased their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, including soda, fruit drinks and punches, and sports drinks.
Bridging the Gap examines how food and beverage prices affect consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and the potential impact of taxes on sugary drinks. The program also has the latest research about state-level taxes on snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages.
Healthy Eating Research convened an expert advisory panel to develop a comprehensive set of age-based recommendations to define healthier beverages.
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May 2, 2013 | Journal Article
More than 84 percent of all foods and beverages advertised to children on Spanish-language television shows are unhealthy, as compared to nearly 73 on English-language television.
April 8, 2013 | Journal Article
Stringent school meal standards may help improve student weight status, particularly among those who receive free or reduced-price lunches.
March 14, 2013 | Program Result
Researchers studied public health policies in New York City and elsewhere, including bans on transfats, limits on exhaust emissions, and taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, to determine how best to move such policies through the political process.
March 12, 2013 | Issue Brief
Beverage choices contribute significantly to dietary and caloric intake in the United States. Healthy Eating Research convened an expert advisory panel to develop a comprehensive set of age-based recommendations to define healthier beverages.
March 1, 2013 | Report/Evaluation
California’s Healthy Beverages in Childcare Act was implemented in January 2012 to regulate beverages in licensed childcare centers. This report measures the impact of the policy on childcare practices.
February 28, 2013 | Report
A report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Bridging the Gap program finds that progress to improve school district wellness policies has stalled.
February 25, 2013 | Survey/Poll
This poll provides new insights into the epidemic of childhood obesity and the challenges families face between school and sleep.
February 1, 2013 | Journal Article
This commentary praises the detailed work of the article “Food Companies’ Calorie-Reduction Pledges to Improve U.S. Diet," which describes the independent evaluation of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) pledge to remove 1.5 trillion calories a year from the marketplace by the end of 2015.
February 1, 2013 | Issue Brief
Competitive foods are snack foods and beverages served and sold in schools, in vending machines, a la carte lines and stores. They are not part of the federal school meals program.
January 16, 2013 | New Public Health Post
Citric acid-based drinks have been linked to devastating tooth erosion, especially in Central Appalachia where the drinks are widely consumed by people of all ages. The issue was selected for a five-minute “Critical Opportunities” presentation that ...