Point-of-Purchase Price and Education Intervention to Reduce Consumption of Sugary Soft Drinks
Open accessAbstract
Objectives. We investigated whether a price increase on regular (sugary) soft drinks and an educational intervention would reduce their sales. Methods. We implemented a 5-phase intervention at the Brigham and Women's Hospital cafeteria in Boston, Massachusetts. After posting existing prices of regular and diet soft drinks and water during baseline, we imposed several interventions in series: a price increase of 35% on regular soft drinks, a reversion to baseline prices (washout), an educational campaign, and a combination price and educational period. We collected data from a comparison site, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, also in Boston, for the final 3 phases. Results. Sales of regular soft drinks declined by 26% during the price increase phase. This reduction in sales persisted throughout the study period, with an additional decline of 18% during the combination phase compared with the washout period. Education had no independent effect on sales. Analysis of the comparison site showed no change in regular soft drink sales during the study period. Conclusions. A price increase may be an effective policy mechanism to decrease sales of regular soda. Further multisite studies in varied populations are warranted to confirm these results.
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In a multiphase interventional study in a hospital cafeteria, a 35% price increase for sugar-sweetened beverages reduced sales by 26% compared with both baseline and a comparison cafeteria.
“Consistent with these observational studies, in a multiphase interventional study in a hospital cafeteria, a 35% price increase for sugar-sweetened beverages reduced sales by 26% compared with both baseline and a comparison cafeteria.169”
From Population Approaches to Improve Diet, Physical Activity, and Smoking Habits: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (2012) · cites this paper as [169]
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- Authors
- Block, J. P., Chandra, A., McManus, K. D., & Willett, W. C.
- Affiliations
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Venue
- American Journal of Public Health
- Publisher
- American Public Health Association
- Published
- 2010-08
- Volume
- 100
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1427-1433
- ISSN
- 0090-0036 (ISSN-L)
- 1541-0048
- PMC
- PMC2901278
- OpenAlex
- W2107763488
- Cited by
- 134
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 10.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- American Journal of Public Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- School for Public Health Research
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (P30DK040561)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Market Behavior and Pricing
- Keywords
- sugary soft drinks, sugar-sweetened beverages, price increases, educational intervention, beverage sales, diet soft drinks, sugar consumption reduction
- MeSH terms
- Boston, Energy Intake, Carbonated Beverages, Commerce, Diet Surveys, Drinking Behavior, Food Preferences, Food Services, Health Education, Health Promotion, Hospitals, Maternity, Humans, Obesity, Surveys and Questionnaires, Regression Analysis, Sweetening Agents, Program Evaluation, Dietary Sucrose
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