Instituting a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Ban: Experience From a Children's Hospital

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is linked to increased weight and obesity in children and remains the major source of added sugar in the typical US diet across all age groups. In an effort to improve the nutritional offerings for patients and employees within our institution, Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, implemented an SSB ban in 2011 in all food establishments within the hospital. In this report, we describe how the ban was implemented. We found that an institutional SSB ban altered beverage sales without revenue loss at nonvending food locations. From a process perspective, we found that successful implementation requires excellent communication and bold leadership at several levels throughout the hospital environment.