Question

The topic is Obesity:

Recommend modifications to the existing public health policy (sugar tax policy)
Justify these modifications and explain how you think they represent an improvement.

Answer 1

Modifying the sugar tax policy to increase rates, expand taxable items, and use revenue for obesity prevention can discourage unhealthy consumption and promote healthier choices, aiming to reduce obesity and associated health risks.

Step-by-step explanation:

Public health policies such as a sugar tax aim to reduce obesity rates by discouraging the consumption of sugary beverages. To enhance the effectiveness of the existing policy, the following modifications could be considered:

1. Increasing the sugar tax rate to further dissuade consumption.
2. Expanding the tax to include a wider range of unhealthy food items that contribute to obesity.
3. Using the revenue generated from the tax to fund obesity prevention programs, such as public education campaigns, and to increase access to healthy foods and recreational facilities.

These modifications aim to reinforce positive behavior changes through economic incentives and active health promotion, addressing both the supply and demand aspects of the issue. By increasing the cost of unhealthy choices and simultaneously making healthy options more accessible, the policy could greatly contribute to a reduction in obesity/prevalence of obesity and associated health risks like type-2 diabetes, colon and breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease.