Summary
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption in San Francisco is greatest among the very populations most impacted by diet-sensitive chronic diseases. The percentage of Pacific Islander, Black/African American, Latinx and Filipinx students reporting daily consumption of SSBs is 1.4 to 2.1 times higher than white or Asian students. The beverage industry targets youth, their parents, and especially low-income communities of color to drink their products, despite the scientific evidence that links overconsumption of SSB to diet-sensitive chronic diseases.
This report discussed the relationship between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, health, and health equity, the efficacy of SSB taxes, and the history of SSB interventions in San Francisco. Community health needs assessments identified poverty and racial health inequities as foundational issues which must be addressed in order to improve the health of all San Franciscans.
This report uses data from various years of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS).