Estimated changes in free sugar consumption one year after the UK soft drinks industry levy came into force

Controlled interrupted time series analysis of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2011–2019)

Bibliographic Data

ID11178676
AuthorsNina Trivedy Rogers (0000-0003-1857-2122, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, corresponding author), Steven Cummin (0000-0002-3957-4357, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), Catrin P Jones (0000-0003-1425-0513, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK), O T Mytton (0000-0003-3218-9912, Great Ormond Street Hospital), Oliver Mytton (Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK), Mike Rayner (0000-0003-0479-6483, University of Oxford), Harry Rutter (0000-0002-9322-0656, University of Bath), Martin White (0000-0002-1861-6757, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK), Jean Adams (0000-0002-5733-7830, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK)
Year2024
Volume78
Issue9
Pages578-584
Publication date2024-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Epidemiology and Community Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0143-005X • E-ISSN: 1470-2738
PublisherBMJ (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1136/jech-2023-221051
PMID38981684
OpenAlexW4400516093
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited24

BACKGROUND: The UK soft drinks industry levy (SDIL) was announced in March 2016 and implemented in April 2018, encouraging manufacturers to reduce the sugar content of soft drinks. This is the first study to investigate changes in individual-level consumption of free sugars in relation to the SDIL. METHODS: We used controlled interrupted time series (2011-2019) to explore changes in the consumption of free sugars in the whole diet and from soft drinks alone 11 months after SDIL implementation in a nationally representative sample of adults (>18 years; n=7999) and children (1.5-19 years; n=7656) drawn from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Estimates were based on differences between observed data and a counterfactual scenario of no SDIL announcement/implementation. Models included protein consumption (control) and accounted for autocorrelation. RESULTS: Accounting for trends prior to the SDIL announcement, there were absolute reductions in the daily consumption of free sugars from the whole diet in children and adults of 4.8 g (95% CI 0.6 to 9.1) and 10.9 g (95% CI 7.8 to 13.9), respectively. Comparable reductions in free sugar consumption from drinks alone were 3.0 g (95% CI 0.1 to 5.8) and 5.2 g (95% CI 4.2 to 6.1). The percentage of total dietary energy from free sugars declined over the study period but was not significantly different from the counterfactual. CONCLUSION: The SDIL led to significant reductions in dietary free sugar consumption in children and adults. Energy from free sugar as a percentage of total energy did not change relative to the counterfactual, which could be due to simultaneous reductions in total energy intake associated with reductions in dietary free sugar

Biology · Consumption (sociology) · Economics · Interrupted time series · Interrupted Time Series Analysis · Soft drink · Statistics · Sugar · Sugar consumption · Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Food Science · Mathematics · Medicine · Nursing · Nutritional Studies and Diet · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet

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