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The effect of beverage taxes on youth consumption and body mass index: Evidence from Mauritius

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  • John Cawley
  • Michael Daly
  • Rebecca Thornton

Abstract

Taxes on sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs) are relatively new and there is limited evidence about their impact on SSB consumption or body mass index (BMI) (as opposed to prices, purchases, or sales), their impact on youth (as opposed to adults), or their impact in non‐Western nations. This paper adds to the evidence across all these dimensions by estimating the effect of an SSB tax on SSB consumption and the BMI of youth in Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, which we compare to Maldives, another island nation which did not implement an SSB tax during the time of our data. Results of difference‐in‐differences models indicate that the tax in Mauritius had no detectable impact on the consumption of SSBs or the BMI of the pooled sample of boys and girls. However, models estimated separately by sex indicate that the probability that boys consumed SSBs fell by 9.4 percentage points (11%). These are among the first estimates of the effect of SSB taxes on youth consumption and contribute to the limited evidence on the impact of SSB taxes on weight, and in non‐Western countries.

Suggested Citation

  • John Cawley & Michael Daly & Rebecca Thornton, 2022. "The effect of beverage taxes on youth consumption and body mass index: Evidence from Mauritius," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(6), pages 1033-1045, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:31:y:2022:i:6:p:1033-1045
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.4497
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    Cited by:

    1. Flynn, James & Gruber, Anja, 2025. "Soda Taxes, BMI and Obesity: Evidence from Seattle," IZA Discussion Papers 17617, IZA Network @ LISER.
    2. Cawley, John & Frisvold, David, 2023. "Review: Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages: Political economy, and effects on prices, purchases, and consumption," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    3. Selina Gangl, 2024. "Does the design of a soda tax matter? Evidence from school children in Europe," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 66(4), pages 1867-1901, April.
    4. Churchill, Brandyn F. & Srivastava, Sparshi, 2025. "Effects of environmental exposures on weight-related health behaviors and outcomes," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    5. Goncalves, Judite & Merenda, Roxanne & Pereira dos Santos, João, 2023. "Not So Sweet: Impacts of a Soda Tax on Producers," IZA Discussion Papers 15968, IZA Network @ LISER.
    6. Flynn, James, 2024. "Soda taxes, consumption, and health outcomes for high school students," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    7. Seung-Hun Chung & Lei Xu, 2025. "Impact of sugar-sweetened beverages tax on obesity and obesity-related health conditions: evidence from Washington State’s soft drink syrup tax," Health Economics Review, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    8. Judite Gonçalves & Roxanne Merenda & João Pereira dos Santos, 2024. "Not so sweet: impacts of a soda tax on producers," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 31(5), pages 1388-1412, October.

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