ArticleGlobalization and health2021
Is the development of obesogenic food environments a self-reinforcing process? Evidence from soft drink consumption.
Article in Globalization and health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Association between Periodontal Disease and Obesity: Umbrella Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Geospatial Distribution of Food Environments and Their Association with Sociodemographic Factors in Two Mid-Sized Chilean Cities.Nutrients · 2026Observational
- Added Sugar Intake from Infant Formula and Complementary Foods: A Longitudinal Investigation and Implications for Infant Weight Gain.The Journal of nutrition · 2025Article
- Assessing the per Capita Food Supply Trends of 38 OECD Countries between 2000 and 2019-A Joinpoint Regression Analysis.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- The Role of Tableware Size in Healthy Eating-Effects on Downstream Food Intake.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Underinvestment in nutrition research for at-risk populations: An analysis of research funding awarded in Australia from 2014 to 2021.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2022Article
- Development of the Hedonic Overeating-Questionnaire (HEDO-Q).Nutrients · 2022Article
- Does the Prevalence of Obesity Affect the Demand for Soft Drinks? Evidence from Cross-Country Panel Data.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
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3 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundUnderstanding how the development of obesogenic food environments and the consumption of ultra-processed foods and beverages influence each other can help policymakers to identify effective ways to curb the current obesity epidemic. This paper was designed to investigate whether, and to what extent, the consumption of soft drinks and the prevalence of obesity are linked through feedback effects.
methodsAn ecological study design and a simultaneous equation model were used to investigate the existence of a vicious cycle between the consumption of soft drinks and the prevalence of obesity. The analysis was based on a longitudinal dataset covering per capita sales of soft drinks, the age-standardised prevalence rate of obesity and several demographic and socio-economic control variables in a sample of 98 countries worldwide for the period 2005-2019.
resultsUsing a Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) regression model with fixed effects, we documented a self-reinforcing process that links consumption and obesity. Changes in the spread of obesity were associated with changes in soft drink consumption: a one-unit increase in the age-adjusted prevalence rate of obesity increased consumption by about 2.39 l per person per year. Similarly, as the consumption of soft drinks rose, so did the prevalence of obesity: the age-adjusted rate of obesity increased by 0.07% for every additional litre consumed per capita. Computing the impact multipliers, we found that the outcome of a one-unit decrease in the average price of soft drinks was twofold: a) the prevalence of obesity increased by around 0.17%; and b) consumption increased by around 2.40 l per person, the sum of the increase directly caused by the price reduction (2 l) and the increase due to the interplay between consumption and obesity (0.4 l).
conclusionsThis study has identified a feedback loop between unhealthy habits (i.e. the consumption of soft drinks) and health outcomes (i.e. the prevalence of obesity). This interplay amplifies the impact of any exogenous changes in the determinants of consumption and obesity. These feedback effects should be considered and exploited in planning effective strategies to tackle the burden of obesity and the global epidemic of non-communicable diseases.
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