Soda lovers are less than thrilled with Gov. David Paterson's proposal to add an 18 percent tax to all sugar-sweetened soft drinks, but a prominent Weill Cornell Medical College alumnus is helping show those thirsty New Yorkers how all that cola could end up costing them much more in the end.
Dr. Richard Daines, the New York state commissioner of health and a Medical College graduate, class of 1978, was concerned that the debate was focusing entirely on the financial aspects of the tax, rather than its potential public health impact such a tax would have. So he got on his Mac computer, and with the help of his kids (one of whom is a student at Weill Cornell), put together a rough video draft in his own kitchen.
The final version was filmed in a studio in Dr. Daines' office building.
In the video, Dr. Daines uses a pitcher of sugar and a "blob" of fat to illustrate the effects that sugar has on the body. Sugary drinks, he said, are the primary culprit for the rise in childhood obesity over the last 30 years.
"Obesity is a problem we all have a stake in solving," Dr. Daines says. "Not only does obesity directly affect the health and happiness of many children and adults, but the New York state comptroller calculates that obesity causes $6.1 billion a year in extra health care costs, and that's a bill we all have to pay. For all these reasons, and especially in these tough times, Gov. Paterson has asked us to do something about the obesity crisis. Of course, if we keep drinking the same amount of soda, we'll just pay the government 18 percent more and we won't improve our health. But I think New Yorkers are smarter than that. I think we can reduce our consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages."
The proposed tax would not only help pay for the rising health care costs brought on by obesity and diabetes, but also help discourage people from making such unhealthy choices.
To give his message a chance to be heard, Dr. Daines decided to get creative.
"The thing to do was not to rely on the standard press conference or press release," Dr. Daines said. "Often, public health is very dry. We're always trying to get the message out. This is a much more creative way of doing that."