ArticleBMC public health2021
Examining the news media reaction to a national sugary beverage tax in South Africa: a quantitative content analysis.
Article in BMC public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comprehensive review of carbonated soft drink consumption rates and their public health importance.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Understanding Research Approaches to Assess Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxation Policy Implementation and Response in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Results From a Scoping Review.Nutrition reviews · 2026Article
- Burdens of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages in 184 countries.Nature medicine · 2025Article
- The passage and implementation of a Health Promotion Levy in South Africa as a case study of fair financing procedures.Health policy and planning · 2023Review
- Framing a New Nutrition Policy: Changes on Key Stakeholder's Discourses throughout the Implementation of the Chilean Food Labelling Law.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Reactions of industry and associated organisations to the announcement of the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy: longitudinal thematic analysis of UK media articles, 2016-18.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Decomposing consumer and producer effects on sugar from beverage purchases after a sugar-based tax on beverages in South Africa.Economics and human biology · 2022Article
- Association of long-term exposure to PMBMC public health · 2022Article
- South Africa's Health Promotion Levy: Excise tax findings and equity potential.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2021Review
- Online News Coverage of the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax in Malaysia: Content Analysis.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSouth Africa was the first sub-Saharan African country to implement a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax called the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) in April 2018. Given news media can increase public awareness and sway opinions, this study analyzed how the media represented the HPL, including expressions of support or challenge, topics associated with the levy, and stakeholder views of the HPL.
methodsWe performed a quantitative content analysis of online South African news articles related to the HPL published between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2019. We coded the presence or absence of mentions related to health and economic effects of the HPL and HPL support or opposition. Prevalence of these mentions, overall and by source (industry, government, academics, other), were analyzed with Pearson χ
resultsAcross all articles, 81% mentioned health, and 65% mentioned economics topics. 54% of articles expressed support, 26% opposition, and 20% a balanced view of the HPL. All sources except industry expressed majority support for the HPL. Health reasons were the most common justifications for support, and economic harms were the most common justifications for opposition. Statements that sugar intake is not related to obesity, the HPL will not reduce SSB intake, and the HPL will cause industry or economic harm were all disproportionately high in industry sources (92, 80, and 81% vs 25% prevalence in total sample) (p < 0.001). Statements that sugar intake is related to obesity and non-communicable diseases were disproportionately high in both government (46 and 54% vs 31% prevalence in total sample) (p < 0.001) and academics (33 and 38% vs 25% prevalence in total sample) (p < 0.05). Statements that the HPL will improve health and the HPL will reduce health care costs were disproportionately high in government (47% vs 31% prevalence in total sample) (p < 0.001) and academics (44% vs 25% prevalence in total sample) (p < 0.05), respectively.
conclusionsIndustry expressed no support for the HPL, whereas academics, government, and other sources mainly expressed support. Future studies would be improved by linking news media exposure to SSB intake data to better understand the effects news media may have on individual behavior change.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.