Nutrition-related chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease are a major public health issue, and children in families with lower incomes are at the highest risk for developing them. Consuming sugary drinks is one modifiable health behavior associated with nutrition-related diseases.

Taxes on sugary drinks have the potential to improve such health behaviors, however, sugary drink taxes, like the Philadelphia Beverage Tax, have yet to be widely implemented in the U.S., as some view them as regressive—or disproportionately burdensome to people with lower incomes—and little is known about their impact on youth.

This Research at a Glance highlights PolicyLab research that sought to understand whether the Philadelphia Beverage Tax was associated with reduced soda consumption among adolescents and to explore perceptions about the tax among parents with low incomes—previously limited information that could inform future approaches to beverage taxes.