University of Pennsylvania researcher Christina Roberto did not expect to find much of a health impact when she set out to study Philadelphia’s soda tax, writes Aubrey Whelan for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“We know that it is really hard to shift a person’s weight and keep that weight off, and it’s a really tall order to ask a policy like this to produce a health effect,” she said.

However, the results of the study show that there has been at least some success with the policy.

The authors of the study found that while average BMI — measuring body fat based on height and weight — continues to rise in the city, it is doing so at a slower rate than in control groups outside Philadelphia.

There is “limited evidence” of a decrease in BMIs and the prevalence of obesity in Philadelphia since 2017, when the soda tax — which is sent to the city’s general fund — was implemented, wrote the authors.

However despite the limited impact, the difference is important for researchers.

“We’re not seeing giant reductions,” said Roberto. “It’s the fact that we’re seeing reductions at all” that’s surprising.

All in all, Roberto believes the policy and getting people to drink fewer sugary drinks is a good thing.

Read more about the impact of Philadelphia’s soda tax in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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