Online commentaries of the sugar-sweetened beverages tax in Malaysia: Content analysis

IntroductionImplementing taxes on sugary drinks, or SSBs, has been a controversial topic in many countries, including Malaysia. This study aimed to examine how Malaysian Facebook users responded to the announcement and implementation of the SSBs tax through netnography.MethodsThis cross-sectional study employed qualitative and quantitative methods and used an inductive approach and thematic content analysis to analyze online commentaries on news articles published on popular online news portals from November 2018 to August 2019. Data was collected by downloading the commentaries onto Microsoft Word and importing them into NVivo.ResultsOf the commentaries analyzed, 60.9% rejected the SSBs tax, and 39.1% favored it. No association was found between the online news articles and the slants of the commentaries.ConclusionThe results of this study demonstrate a clear divide in public opinion regarding the SSBs tax in Malaysia, with many online readers expressing opposition to the tax despite evidence of the harmful effects of sugar presented in the articles they are commenting on. These findings have implications for policymakers and public health advocates seeking to implement similar taxes in the future.