A Comparative Study on the Effectiveness of Sugar Tax Policy in Public Health: France (Developed Nation) and Chile (Developing Nation)

Kuppan, Presha Cakravarti (2025) A Comparative Study on the Effectiveness of Sugar Tax Policy in Public Health: France (Developed Nation) and Chile (Developing Nation). Masters thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

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Abstract

Background: The increasing prevalence of obesity and obesity-related NCDs have prompted governments to enact policies to target sugar-sweetened beverages. This dissertation aims to address the varied policy designs in France, a developed nation and Chile, a developing nation on the impact of the tax on their consumption, obesity prevalence, social determinants of health and the barriers and enablers to effective tax implementation. Method: A systematic literature review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines through searching through databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, EBSCOhost, JSTOR and UWTSD online library and 15 studies were chosen. These articles were critically appraised through the Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist (JBI) and were synthesised according to Braun and Clark thematic analysis methodology. The analysis focused on four domains which were public health outcomes of sugar taxation, social determinants affecting policy effectiveness, consumer behaviour and substitution effects and policy design and implementation. Findings: Findings showed that modest reductions were observed in France and Chile with higher reductions from higher tax thresholds. In Chile, the purchases of high-sugar SSBs reduced by around 3 per cent while the purchases of substitutions increased by 10 per cent. The reductions in France were smaller but was equally supported through reformulation efforts. However, the overall impact on obesity was limited. Individuals of high-income groups were more responsive of the tax compared to low-income groups who displayed weaker behavioural shifts. Conclusion: The study concludes that SSB taxes alone were useful but insufficient to reduce sugar consumption. Policymakers should prioritise higher tax thresholds, reinvestment of tax revenues and education campaigns. Future research should also include long-term evaluations, inclusion of rural populations and the industrial response to the tax.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Sugar-sweetened beverages, Sugar tax, Public health policy, Social determinants of health, France, Chile
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Divisions:	Theses and Dissertations > Masters Dissertations
Depositing User:	Victoria Hankinson
Date Deposited:	11 Dec 2025 14:26
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2025 14:26
URI:	https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/4049

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