City Secures Grant for Campaign Against Sugar-Sweetened Drinks

The city of Evanston’s Health and Human Services Department will begin a public education campaign against sugar-sweetened drinks.

The “Rethink Your Drink” campaign will educate residents about the amount of added sugar in some drinks thanks to a $10,000 donation from NorthShore University Health System - according to the Daily Northwestern. In addition, a new program in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 schools will educate third through eighth graders about the extra sugar in their diets from sweetened drinks.

“These beverages are key contributors to obesity,” said Gabrielle Hatley, senior vice president of NorthShore University HealthSystem. “Adults who drink at least one soda a day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight or obese regardless of income or ethnicity.”

The program will be implemented in two phases: coordinating an awareness campaign to spread the word about health risks associated with drinks with excess sugar and advocating for policy changes that help shift drink consumption from sodas to healthier drinks such as water.

more via the Daily Northwestern