Preventing non-communicable diseases using pricing policies

Download or read book Preventing non-communicable diseases using pricing policies written by Shu Wen Ng and published by RTI Press. This book was released on 2021-05-27 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in an effective and sustainable way will require forward-looking policy solutions that can address multiple objectives. This was true pre–COVID-19 and is even more true now. There are already examples from across the globe and within the United States that show how these may be possible. Although there are still many unknowns around how the design, targeting, level, sequencing, integration, and implementation of fiscal policies together can maximize their NCD prevention potential, there is already clear evidence that health taxes and particularly sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes are cost-effective. Nonetheless, policies alone may not succeed. Political will to prioritize well-being, protections against industry interference, and public buy-in are necessary. If those elements align, pricing policies that consider the context in question can be designed and implemented to achieve several goals around reducing consumption of unhealthy SSBs and foods, narrowing existing nutritional and health disparities, encouraging economic and social development. The US and its local and state jurisdictions should consider these pricing policy issues and their contexts carefully, in collaboration with community partners and researchers, to design multi-duty actions and to be prepared for future windows of opportunities to open for policy passage and implementation.