Consumers are less likely to buy sugary drinks if they are provided with simple information about the drinks' calorie content, a new study from the US has found.

Researchers posted signs with calorie information at corner stores. Providing any information reduced the odds of sugar-sweetened beverage purchases by 40%.

They posted three different types of signs: “Did you know that a bottle of soda or fruit juice has about 250 calories?”; “Did you know that a bottle of soda or fruit juice has about 10 percent of your daily calories?”; and “Did you know that working off a bottle of soda or fruit juice takes about 50 minutes of running?”.

The physical activity equivalent was the most effective of the three, reducing the odds of a sugar-sweetened beverage purchase by 50 per cent.

The study focused on purchases by low-income black adolescents in Baltimore. It is published in the American Journal of Public Health.