Childhood obesity is a major health issue in the Caribbean with 1 in 3 children being overweight or obese. Being obese and overweight in childhood is linked to the development of a number of health issues such as diabetes and hypertension, and it also negatively impacts a child’s mental health. These health issues can follow children into adulthood with children affected by obesity, or who are overweight, having an increased risk of becoming overweight or obese adults and developing non-communicable diseases such as cancer and heart disease in later life.
Childhood obesity is a significant challenge here in St Kitts and Nevis. A PAHO report revealed that 33% of secondary school children in the twin island state were overweight and 14% were obese. More recently, in 2017, a UNICEF report published that 26% of children in St Kitts and Nevis are obese.
Childhood Obesity Solutions
To combat childhood obesity we have to ensure that children adopt a healthy lifestyle and one approach is to explore how we can reduce the consumption of products that are high in sugar, salt and saturated fat. One group of products, sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), is known to contribute significantly to weight gain because of the large quantities of sugar in these drinks. For example, one 375ml can of coke contains 40g of added sugar (or 10 teaspoons of sugar).Therefore consuming just one SSB exceeds a child’s recommended daily intake of added sugar.
Caribbean Children’s SSB Consumption
Children in the Caribbean drink large quantities of SSBs putting them at risk of becoming obese or overweight. Caribbean children’s frequency of consuming SSBs was found to be amongst the highest out of 187 countries. Furthermore, teenagers (12 to 15-year olds) in Barbados, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago reported drinking SSBs three times or more a day, and in St Kitts and Nevis it was found that children consumed at least one carbonated soft drink a day.
SSB Taxation
The taxation of SSBs has been utilised as a method of tackling obesity by creating a deterrent which leads to a reduction in the purchase and consumption of SSBs.
Taxation of SSBs has three important aims. The first it to incentivise manufacturers to reformulate or replace their products to create healthier options, the second is to deter the public from purchasing and consuming SSBs by making them unaffordable and the third is to raise funds from the tax revenue that can be used to support initiatives aimed at improving the health of the public.
On 1st November 2018, the Ministry of Health in St Kitts held a public consultation on SSB taxation. During this consultation they provided information on their proposed approach to SSB taxation.
Our Position on SSB Taxation in St Kitts and Nevis
Lake Health and Wellbeing supports the government’s plans to tax SSBs and you can read our full position statement below.
Document: Taxing SSBs in St Kitts: A Position Statement
Published by: Lake Health and Wellbeing
Date: 15th November 2018
Download here: SSB Taxation Position Statement
References
- UNICEF, Situation Analysis of Children in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area and the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, Christ Church, Barbados, 2017
- PAHO, Health in the Americas, 2012: St Kitts and Nevis, PAHO, 2012
- Xuereb, G. (2017). Sugar Sweetened Beverages Taxes in the Caribbean – Progress and Challenges.
- Yang, L. et al. (2017). Consumption of Carbonated Soft Drinks Among Young Adolescents Aged 12 to 15 Years in 53 Low- and Middle-Income Countries. American journal of public health, 107(7), pp 1095-1100.