Demographic Groups Likely Affected by Regulating Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Portion Sizes

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutrition Policy
• Obesity Prevention

Background:

• Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are a significant contributor to the obesity epidemic.
• Current portion-size regulations for SSBs typically cap container volumes at 16 fluid ounces.
• The demographic impact of these regulations remains largely unexamined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the demographic groups most likely to be affected by hypothetical national portion-size regulations for SSBs.
• To model the impact of regulations based on existing policies from New York City and California.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2016) for adults aged 18–65.
• Defined 'affected' individuals as those consuming SSBs exceeding 16 fluid ounces from regulated sources.
• Analyzed demographic associations (age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income) using logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Portion-size regulations could affect 8.87% (NYC scope) to 14.71% (CA scope) of adults.
• Younger adults (<35 years), males, and those without a college degree were disproportionately affected (p<0.05).
• Broader policy scopes (including convenience stores) showed a larger impact across demographic groups.

Conclusions:

• Portion-size regulations for SSBs are likely to have a greater impact on younger, male, and less-educated populations.
• The scope of food sources included in regulations significantly influences the magnitude of their effect.
• Policy design should consider these demographic disparities for equitable public health outcomes.