#THIRSTY

The Rethink Sugary Drink Alliance launched a new campaign on 22 January, 2019 to combat the overconsumption of sugary drinks. Spokespeople including Clinical Associate Professor Matthew Hopcraft, CEO of the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch, spoke on ABC Breakfast about the new campaign which focuses on dental health and targets young people who are high consumers of sugary drinks. Graphic imagery of the dental effects of sugary drinks such as tooth decay is being used to prompt young people to realise that sugary drinks are not worth losing your teeth over.

Jane Martin from the Obesity Policy Coalition continued the messages on ABC Radio and Triple J as well as Craig Sinclair from Cancer Council Victoria on 2CC Radio. Members of the public in Victoria were invited down to St Kilda foreshore to watch the advertisements and challenge their views on sugary drinks. You can see their vox-pops on the next page.

The Rethink Sugary Drink Alliance is an initiative comprising of 19 national and state-based like-minded health and community organisations concerned about the amount of sugar in sugary drinks and their overconsumption by Australians leading to chronic health conditions. It aims to raise awareness among all Australians on the amount of sugar in sweetened beverages (such as soft drink, energy drinks and sports drinks) and the associated health risks, with young Australians being the primary target. The partnership encourages Australians to rethink their sugary drink consumption and switch to water, reduced-fat milk or unsweetened options.

As part of the Rethink Sugary Drink Alliance, the DHAA has jumped on board to support the campaign by re-tweeting posts from its partners such as the Obesity Policy Coalition, LiveLighter and Cancer Council Victoria. It has also been shared on the DHAA’s Facebook page which reached 173 people and 20 engagements during the launch. All of this is part of a much larger campaign to call for:

• A levy on sugary drinks to increase prices by 20 percent

• A government-supported social marketing campaign to highlight the health effects of sugary drinks

• Restrictions to reduce children’s exposure to marketing of sugary drinks

• Restrictions on the sale of sugary drinks in schools, government institutions and at children’s sport events

• State and local government policies to reduce the availability of sugary drinks in workplaces, healthcare facilities and other public places

• Promotion and easy access to fluoridated tap water

Graphic imagery of the dental effects of sugary drinks such as tooth decay is being used to prompt young people to realise that sugary drinks are not worth losing your teeth over.”

So why is there such a call for a levy/sugar tax on sugary drinks?

The current environment shows that sugary drink consumption is a major public health issue. It has been associated with several health consequences such as the increased prevalence of weight gain and obesity, dental caries and dental erosion, elevated blood pressure and higher serum uric acid levels, insulin resistance and lower bone mineral density in girls. According to the Oral health of Australian children: The National Child Oral Health Study 2012-14, “Half of all children (50.9%) usually drank one or more glasses of Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSB’s) on a usual day and this increased from 41.5% in children aged 5–6 years to 58.7% in those aged 13–14 years. For all ages, the proportion was higher for Indigenous children (73.1%) and lowest among children from high income households (36.5%).” It is also noted that, “One in four and one in ten Australian children had untreated dental caries in their primary or permanent teeth, respectively.” (https:// www.adelaide.edu.au/press/titles/ncohs/ncohs-ebook.pdf) Roughly 28 countries around the world, and seven USA cities, currently have a sugar tax, where different outcomes have occurred; including a decrease in sales of sugary drinks, reinvestment of funds into health promotion or preventive health programs, and reformulation changes by soft-drink manufacturers. There is a call for Australia to join in with countries which have the sugar tax such as the UK, Ireland, cities in the USA, and South Africa to name a few. The sugar tax is only part of the solution but in conjunction with other strategies, reducing the burden of disease is made possible.

What can you do to create more advocacy and awareness about this campaign?

• Visit the dedicated campaign website.

• Use social media to share the campaign with your friends and family and use the hashtag #rethinksugarydrink.

• Discuss with your patients, especially young adults, about their sugar consumption, and show them visually the dental impacts of overconsumption of sugary drinks..

• Advocate that tap water is the best drink as it contains no calories and contains fluoride which makes teeth stronger and prevents cavities.

It is planned that the campaign will lead to World Oral Health Day which will be celebrated internationally on 20 March 2019 (www.worldoralhealthday.org ). The theme this year is “Say Ahh: Act on Mouth Health” where we are asked to motivate people to take action in protecting their oral health. There will be dinner meetings across the state branches to celebrate the day so don’t forget to check the DHAA CPD events page to see which one you can attend!

About Rethink Sugary Drink

• Rethink Sugary Drink is a a campaign intended to raise awareness of the amount of sugar in sugar-sweetened beverages and encourage Australians to reduce their consumption.

• The supporting partners are: Apunipima Cape York Health Council, Australian Dental Association, Australian Dental and Oral Health Therapists’ Association, Cancer Council Australia, Dental Health Services Victoria, Dental Hygienists Association of Australia, Diabetes Australia, Healthier Workplace WA, Kidney Health Australia, LiveLighter, The Mai Wiru Sugar Challenge Foundation, Nutrition Australia, Obesity Policy Coalition, Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, Stroke Foundation, Parents’ Voice, the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and the YMCA.

• Visit rethinksugarydrink.org.au for more information.

#Thirsty Vox Pop

The Rethink Sugary Drink campaigners took to the streets to record the effects of their ‘Thirsty’ by showing it to members of the general public. Take a look at people’s reations...