The goal of this study is to provide much needed scientific evidence about whether the Philadelphia beverage tax is associate with changes in beverage availability and targeted marketing, with a focus on drinks commonly consumed by children ages 0-5 and Black and Latinx households with young children. Specific aims include: (1) Compare changes in retail availability (large and small retailers) of the beverages most frequently consumed by young children ages 2-5 (based on national data) following the implementation of the beverage tax in Philadelphia compared with Baltimore (a control city without a tax); (2) Assess whether beverage marketing for young children in Philadelphia includes different amounts of local media (i.e., TV, magazine, Internet) and advertising via mobile devices for taxed beverages and sweetened, non-taxed beverages (e.g., flavored milk) compared to Baltimore; and (3) Evaluate whether Black and Latinx families with children ages 0 to 5 in Philadelphia and Baltimore are exposed to more beverage advertising on digital device media and local media compared to white families.
Start Date: April 2021
ID #: 283-4131
Principal Investigator: Erica Kenney, ScD, MPH
Organization: President and Fellows of Harvard College
Funding Round: SSB4
Race/Ethnicity: African American or Black, Latino(a) or Hispanic
Focus Areas: Beverages, Early Childhood, Food Marketing, Food Retail
Resource Type: Grant Summary
State: Pennsylvania
Age Groups: Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Keywords: Sugar-sweetened beverages, Taxes
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