Engaging the public in prevention of childhood obesity: a citizens’ jury to address childhood obesity: Is taxation an appropriate strategy for reducing childhood obesity?

BACKGROUND
Food taxation is a public health strategy that has been identified as having the potential to reduce rates of childhood obesity. A Citizens Jury was convened to explore the consumer acceptability of taxation as a strategy to prevent childhood obesity by influencing the purchasing of foods by parents. A Citizens Jury, consisting of 12-24 members of the public that are representative of the community, is a deliberative method of engaging the public in decision-making on a specific topic. The jury is asked to reach a verdict and make recommendations based on evidence provided by clinical, policy, academic and consumer experts from a wide range of perspectives. This report describes the verdicts and recommendations of a Citizens Jury on childhood obesity held in May 2013, in Brisbane, Australia.

This Citizens Jury was facilitated by Griffith University as part of a larger project funded by the Australian National Preventive Health Agency (ANPHA). The overall project is comprised of a series of sub-studies in order to inform a full economic evaluation of the impact of taxation on obesity rates in children. This research aims to identify both the cost-effectiveness and consumer acceptability of taxation strategies to reduce rates of overweight and obesity amongst children in Australia.