Philly’s soda tax had an impact on health in the city, new research finds

When University of Pennsylvania researcher Christina Roberto set out to study Philadelphia’s soda tax, she wasn’t convinced she would find much health impact.

“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.

Indeed, Roberto’s study, published this month in The Lancet, found that average BMI, a measure of a person’s body fat based on their height and weight, is still increasing in Philadelphia.

“To me, this policy is a clear no-brainer. We know from lots of data that sugary drinks aren’t good for our health, and we tax other things, like tobacco, that we know are not good for our health,” she said. “Even if we didn’t see a BMI effect, getting people to drink fewer sugary drinks is a good thing.”