ArticleNature communications2024
The UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy and childhood hospital admissions for asthma in England.
Article in Nature communications, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Expanding the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease beyond maternal behaviors.PLoS medicine · 2026Article
- The impact of the UK soft drink industry levy on ethnic inequalities in admission rates for caries-related extractions.Journal of public health (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- The potential health effects of taxing sugar-sweetened drinks in Egypt: An epidemiologic-economic modelling study.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Changes in household purchasing of soft drinks following the UK soft drinks industry levy by household income and composition: controlled interrupted time series analysis, March 2014 to November 2019.BMJ nutrition, prevention & health · 2025Article
- Exploring the sugar-sweetened beverage tax (SSBT) pass-through rate in the Irish hospitality sector.BMC public health · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Sugar sweetened beverage consumption has been suggested as a risk factor for childhood asthma symptoms. We examined whether the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), announced in March 2016 and implemented in April 2018, was associated with changes in National Health Service hospital admission rates for asthma in children, 22 months post-implementation of SDIL. We conducted interrupted time series analyses (2012-2020) to measure changes in monthly incidence rates of hospital admissions. Sub-analysis was by age-group (5-9,10-14,15-18 years) and neighbourhood deprivation quintiles. Changes were relative to counterfactual scenarios where the SDIL wasn't announced, or implemented. Overall, incidence rates reduced by 20.9% (95%CI: 29.6-12.2). Reductions were similar across age-groups and deprivation quintiles. These findings give support to the idea that implementation of a UK tax intended to reduce childhood obesity may have contributed to a significant unexpected and additional public health benefit in the form of reduced hospital admissions for childhood asthma.
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