Several countries have introduced public health product taxes with the objective of reducing the absolute amount of consumption of unhealthy food and tackling obesity. This study aims to estimate the long-term impact of the Hungarian public health product tax introduced in 2011. To achieve this, a unique consumer purchase dataset was analysed to examine daily fast-moving consumer goods purchases from a representative sample of 2,000 households from 2010 to 2018. The results indicate that the tax has been fully reflected in consumer prices. A decline in consumption was observed initially, consistent with previous experiences in Hungary and other countries. However, over time, the data suggests a recovery and even an increase in line with the growth of disposable income. The proportion of taxed products in total fast-moving consumer goods purchases increased from 5.9 % (95 % CI: 5.7 % to 6.0 %) in 2010 to 7.4 % (95 % CI: 7.3 % to 7.6 %) in 2018. Furthermore, the tax has contributed to increased inequality as low-income households spend a higher proportion of their total expenditure on it. Although taxes on unhealthy foods have proven effective in the short-term, they may not be adequate for reducing overall consumption in the long-term, particularly as disposable income increases. In conclusion, implementing complex interventions is necessary to achieve sustainable positive changes in dietary habits.

Introduction: The COVID-19 vaccination uptake rate was lower among the Hungarian population compared to the European Union average. Among residents of deprived settlements in Hungary, vaccine uptake was by 38.2% lower than the national average. A major obstacle to the vaccination program was public mistrust. Objective: To explore the beliefs of the population regarding COVID-19 vaccination and to identify mass media sources used for obtaining information about the pandemic. Method: The analyzed data came from a cross-sectional online survey, which was conducted from November 15 to 26, 2022. The effective sample size of the anonymous data collection was 1222 Hungarian adults. Questions regarding the refusal of COVID-19 vaccination, sociodemographic variables, 5 positive and 5 negative attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination and COVID-19, and questions regarding mass media used for obtaining information were involved in this study. Frequentist statistical methods and Hornik-Woolf method were applied. Results: A successful increase in the agreement with the statement "The vaccinated also protect the health of those around them" could have achieved the highest increase in the vaccination rate among the Hungarian adult population. Respondents identified television, online news portals, government online communication, and radio as primary sources of information about COVID-19. Significantly more vaccine refusers sought information on closed Facebook pages and on YouTube compared to vaccine acceptors. Conclusion: In line with international findings, emphasizing community interest could have been an effective general approach in the promotion of COVID-19 vaccination in Hungary. For the preparation of future mass-vaccination campaigns, complex health communication research, planning and testing are recommended.