Suzanne Soares-Wynter | Jamaicans support sugary drinks tax

Who would have thought that Jamaicans would support a new tax? A tax on sugary drinks is exactly what more than half of Jamaicans think is needed to help reduce obesity in our country. In addition, if these tax revenues were used to fund public programmes to improve health, almost three-quarters of Jamaicans report that they would support such a tax. That sounds like a win-win situation.

A recently published study reported that The Heart Foundation of Jamaica’s (HFJ) mass media campaign successfully increased Jamaican’s awareness of the harms of sugary drinks. Interestingly, it also showed that Jamaicans were overwhelmingly supportive of government action to address consumption, including a tax on sugary beverages. More details of this peer-reviewed research paper, titled ‘How the “Are we drinking ourselves sick?”’ communication campaign built support for policy action on sugary drinks in Jamaica’, published in the journal, Nutrients, can be accessed at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9318558/ .

The HFJ led this evidence-based campaign between 2017 and 2010, staged across four phases, and ran nationally on television, radio, print, outdoor, and social media channels. The campaign’s key messages highlighted the adverse health effects of drinking more than the World Health Organization’s recommended daily allowance for added sugar, and a direct call for the support of a sugary drinks tax policy. The research study evaluated changes in Jamaicans’ knowledge, attitudes, and support of policies to reduce sugary drinks consumption during the campaign period.

BELIEVABLE AND RELEVANT

The media campaign was consistently recalled by 80 per cent of Jamaicans, while more than 90 per cent found the advertisements believable and relevant. In all instances, more than 80 per cent expressed that the advertisements made them feel concerned about the effects of sugary drinks on their health, feel motivated to reduce their consumption, and motivated parents to reduce their children’s consumption. More than 85 per cent reported that the advertisements made them more supportive of government action to reduce sugary drinks consumption. More specifically, 55 per cent or more of the respondents support taxes on sugary drinks to reduce obesity in Jamaica. Further, 71 per cent or more would support this policy if beverage tax revenues were geared towards public programmes to improve health.

It is no secret that sugary drinks are a major contributor to overweight and obesity, the latter being well-established risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay, and certain types of cancer. Further, a 2010 study conducted by Malik et al showed that drinking one to two sugary drinks per day also increased the risk of type two diabetes by 26 per cent. Statistics published by the Ministry of Health & Wellness, reiterate that over 75 per cent of Jamaican adults consume more than one sugar-sweetened beverage daily. The 2017 Global School-based Student Health Survey also showed this unhealthy trend among Jamaican youth, whereby as many as 69 per cent of students, age 13-17 years, reported drinking sweetened, carbonated drinks one or more times daily. With 54 per cent of Jamaicans over 15 years being overweight or obese, policy action to significantly curb sugary drinks consumption is critical.

IMPACTFUL

The ‘Are we drinking ourselves sick?’ campaign was impactful for increasing public knowledge about the health risks of sugary drinks and shifting support in favour of public health policy to reduce consumption. The Government has made advancements by implementing a progressive restriction of sugary drinks in schools that began in January 2019. However, given the pervasiveness and health risks of sweetened beverages in our diet, there is still a need for stronger action.

The World Health Organization states that a tax on sugary drinks that increases prices by 20 per cent can reduce consumption by around 20 per cent. For Jamaica, such a tax may encourage consumers to avoid or reduce their consumption of these unhealthy products. A comprehensive policy to restrict advertising of these unhealthy products to children, on media channels and in schools, will help to further limit children’s exposure and access. Coincidentally, the Jamaican Economy Panel recently called for the Jamaican Government to consider taxes on sugary food and drinks. This public outcry for such a tax from a collective body of economic experts is indeed timely, as fiscal policies are a proven and effective tool in curbing obesity trends. The increased tax revenues would certainly support the struggling health sector and ease the huge economic burdens associated with NCDs. As evidenced by the number of Jamaicans still grappling with NCDs due to unhealthy diets, the voluntary reduction of consumption is likely inadequate. We must be able to rely on government-implemented public health policies to protect us and our children.

This new study demonstrates the positive influence this media campaign had on alerting Jamaicans to the dangers of consuming sugary drinks. Many Jamaicans began reducing consumption, taking their first steps to personal recovery. The campaign further demonstrated Jamaican’s understanding of the rationale for introducing an unhealthy beverage tax and was supportive of implementing this tax, especially if it had a return investment on public health. It is obvious that without broader policy actions, we will continue to experience major public health and financial burdens due to NCDs. In considering next steps, the Government is urged to consider action to implement a sugary beverage tax and help save lives and protect our children’s future.

Dr Suzanne Soares-Wynter is a clinical nutritionist at the Caribbean Institute of Health Research at The University of the West Indies, Mona. Send feedback to ghapjm@gmail.com.