Nowadays, obesity has become a serious epidemic disease worldwide. The increasing prevalence of obesity is a big problem which threats the public health terribly. Australia is faced with severe obese problem. “The Medical Journal of Australia found that obesity in Australia more that doubled in the two decades preceding 2003, and the unprecedented rise in obesity has been compared to the same health crisis in America “(Dunn, A., 2003). The rising prevalence can cause significant bad effects on the society. Obesity is associated with health problems. “An obese person has a higher risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, and some specific forms of cancer. As a person’s weight increases, their risk of developing more than one of these medical conditions also increases”(Medibank Health Solutions, 2010). Apart from the physical effects, obesity also has bad effects on people’s psychological effects. Besides, it can give rise to great economic and social costs. Thus obesity is a urgent concern in Australia. Taking soft drinks is an important factor which causes obesity. This paper discusses the imposure on carbonated soft drinks to lower soft drink consumption. Since carbonated soft drink consumption is reduced, it has a good influence on obesity prevention.

Evidence Statement: There is strong evidence that a tax on carbonated soft drinks reduces carbonated soft drink consumption.

Statement Analysis

The consumption of carbonated soft drinks is considered to be a contributing factor to weight gain and obesity. “One study followed 548 schoolchildren over 19 months and found that changes in soft drink were associated with changes in body mass index (BMI). Each soft drink that a child added to his or her daily consumption was accompanied by an increase in BMI of 0.24 kg/m2” (Ludwig, Peterson and Gortmaker, 2001). Thus, the consumption of carbonated soft drinks needs to be reduced. Many experts advocate tax on soft drinks. The aim of imposing tax on carbonated soft drinks is to curb unhealthy diet and prevent obesity. Since a tax is imposed on the carbonated soft drinks, the prices of the carbonated soft drinks increase. A number of studies have found that soda consumption is price-sensitive (Andreyeva, Long and Brownell, 2010). As the prices of soft drinks increase, the consumer buys less carbonated soft drinks or the poor even stops to buy.