Study Suggests 20% Sugar-Heavy Drinks Tax to Curb Surging Child Obesity in China

Nearly two in five children and adolescents in China are expected to be overweight or obese by 2030 if current trends continue, research found. Experts called for urgent measures to counter the problem, including a 20% tax on sugar-sweetened drinks.

The findings, published last month in The Lancet Regional Health and written by researchers at the School of Public Health of Peking University and United Nations Children’s Fund, said the rapid increase in child and adolescent obesity in China was having a significant health and economic impact.