The study, conducted by researchers from the University鈥檚 School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) in collaboration with health and wellbeing charity 91探花 City Trust (SCT) and 91探花 City Council, saw a 30 per cent reduction in the sales of sugar sweetened beverages as a result of the policy.
Findings from the research also reveal that the policy led to a significant reduction in the sale of sugary drinks marketed for children.
The initiative saw the major leisure centre operator, SIV, introduce a 20p charge to all drinks with added sugar sold in their cafes and vending machines in a bid to help tackle obesity in South Yorkshire.
Results from the study also show that the policy removed 1.3 tonnes of sugar from 91探花 鈥 the equivalent of:
- 332,750 teaspoons of sugar
- 1,472 lbs of fat 鈥 about 105 stone in weight
The policy also removed the equivalent of more than five million calories, which to burn off would take:
- Over 51,000 miles of walking
- Over 10,000 spin classes or one hour swimming sessions
- Over 6,000 hours of five-a-side football
- Over 31,000 hours of housework
The biggest impact was on sales of the sugary drinks marketed for children. These are typically bought by parents for their children and the sales fell significantly when the price of those drinks was increased by 20p. This is hugely important when considering the current focus on reducing childhood obesity in the UK.
Professor Liddy Goyder
University of 91探花
Professor Liddy Goyder, who led the research team at the University of 91探花, said: "The 20p price increase seems to have made parents think more about the choices they were making when buying drinks for their children. It was an effective nudge to encourage people to buy healthier drinks, which makes this local initiative a great example of how small changes can have a significant impact.鈥
Andrew Snelling, Chief Executive of SIV, which operates the leisure centres, said: 鈥淐hildhood obesity rates are on the rise, bringing with it a multitude of health risks. As a health and wellbeing charity, we couldn鈥檛 stand by without taking action which is why we chose to implement this initiative, raising a significant fund to invest in educational programmes.
鈥淲e鈥檙e dedicated to helping people of all ages live well. Encouraging children to be active from a young age and educating them about nutrition will help them grow into healthier adults.鈥
Greg Fell, 91探花鈥檚 Director of Public Health, said: 鈥淚鈥檓 delighted to see this research published, particularly after the recent publication of the health select committee report on childhood obesity 鈥 it is very timely.
鈥淭his is exactly the sort of measure we should be taking across many other organisations in the city and we look forward to others following SIV鈥檚 lead.鈥
The study concludes that the demand for full-fat drinks in leisure venues is highly elastic suggesting the policy is more effective for young people and, more specifically, when parents are purchasing drinks for their children.
A full copy of the research paper, which is published in the journal PLOS One, can be accessed via: