The sugary drinks tax may have prevented more than 5,000 young girls from becoming obese, new research suggests.
A study from the University of Cambridge found that the introduction of the levy in April 2018 coincided with an eight per cent drop in obesity levels in Year Six girls, rising to nine per cent in girls from deprived areas.
Researchers from the university’s Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit tracked changes in obesity levels among children in England in reception year and Year Six, between 2014 and 2020.
Although there was a clear drop in obesity levels for girls, the research found no significant association between the levy and obesity levels in year six boys or younger children from reception class.
Take what they’ve found as being true – not always a valid assumption in this area but still.
So, now we need a theory to explain why a sugar tax works on girls, and girls only, of this age and not of other ages.
Saying “The sugar tax done it” is not a valid – not a valid scientific at least – conclusion. We’ve got to have a modus by which the operandi works.
So?
Well not really Tim
I speak as a graduate of the institution but the pervading cult of ‘wokeness’ that pervades the entire output of everything in Cambridge (And Oxford) means to all intents and purposes they have ceased to be institutions of learning and are simply factories of Hard Left ‘Woke’ propaganda. I wouldn’t even give them the time of day and to be honest they could do worse than turn the entire institution over as accommodation for the new arrivals coming across the channel. Salt the Earth.
Snowdon has already debunked this…… Spoiler alert : It’s bollocks
Paper’s published in PLOS Medicine. ‘Nuff said.
Anyway, total number of dustbins in the age group should be on the order of 650,000, half of whom should be girls. At the moment, anyway. The apparent effect is only about 1.5% of the sub-group, or 0.75% of the whole. That’ll get worse as the group expands to include other ages.
I reckon some number of girls had a random growth spurt. Also, they may have switched from Primary to Secondary school at exactly the same time.
“Take what they’ve found as being true – not always a valid assumption in this area but still”
Funny place, Cambridge University. Poor old Sir Isaac must be spinning in his grave. A place of learning, nay geniuses, for 400 years but now a place where Harry and Megs would feel right at home.
Truth? Pah, who needs it?
Speaking as an old geezer, I doubt there’s any connection. It’s a long time since I’ve read any girls magazines but I would think that cries of “Fatty!” and “Lardarse” have had some effect…
The problem, as per usual is that correlation ain’t causation. Any fall in obesity is as likely to do with the rise of TikTok as it is with the sugar tax.
More likely there’s no change at all and it’s just bad comparators.
It’s about as good an example of correlation as that between the number of pirates and the inverse of global temperature… ie, bollocks.