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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August 14, 2012 | Issue Brief
Some Encouraging Progress, Additional Improvements are Needed
August 1, 2012 | Journal Article
Sweetened drinks are a primary source of added dietary sugar for children. Drinks obtained at school in “competitive venues”—outside of the federally reimbursable school meal program—significantly contribute to student caloric intake. These research ...
July 2, 2012 | News Release
The study examined the availability of competitive beverages in U.S. public elementary schools for five academic years, from 2006–07 to 2010–11. Competitive beverages are those sold by schools outside of meal programs through vending machines, à la ...
June 1, 2011 | Journal Article
Looking at successful strategies used to reduce tobacco use and harmful drinking—can they do the same for sugar-sweetened beverage consumption?
November 1, 2010 | Journal Article
A new study finds that almost half of the nation's public elementary school students could buy unhealthy beverages such as sodas, sports drinks and higher-fat milk during the 2008-09 school year. The problem is most severe in the South where obesity rates are highest.
April 1, 2010 | Journal Article
New study finds that current soda tax rates don't deter consumption.
September 1, 2009 | Journal Article
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation invests in research aimed at reducing childhood obesity. This study investigated associations between soda taxes and body mass index (BMI) in 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students in the period 1997-2006.
August 13, 2012 | Report
National Secondary School Survey Results
June 10, 2013 | Journal Article
This study examines the association between district and state policy requirements regarding availability in public elementary schools of competitive food and beverages, including high-fat and high-sugar snacks, drinks, and salty snacks.
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.