The American Academy of Pediatrics has joined with the American Heart Association to endorse several policies both groups say will help reduce childhood consumption of sugary beverages, including a tax on sodas and other sweetened drinks.

The two groups outlined their position in a policy paper published Monday in AAP's journal Pediatrics. Among the proposals: Federal and state governments should support efforts to decrease sugary product marketing to children; federal nutrition assistance programs should ensure access to healthy food and beverages; and families should have access to reliable nutrition information on food labels, restaurant menus and advertisements.

"Communities have started tackling this problem with creative solutions, showing that we can work together to make healthy options more available and less expensive to buy," said pediatrician Natalie Muth, lead author of the policy statement. "Every child deserves to grow up to be healthy. That means we need to do more to promote healthy beverage options—like water and milk. If we can do this together, we'll improve the long-term health of our nation's children."

The endorsement of a tax on sugary beverages is likely to draw the most attention as the proposal has been at heart of a years-long political and legal battle between cities and the beverage industry. The American Beverage Association has spent millions of dollars fighting "soda taxes" in communities across the U.S.

AAP and AHA said excise taxes on sugary beverages have successfully reduced consumption in cities such as Berkeley, Calif., and Philadelphia. The groups also noted that revenue from the taxes was directed into health services programs for schools and low-income communities. http://bit.ly/2YnUM4w

In a statement to ABC News, an ABA spokesman disputed the health connections the two groups were making, saying that "while soda consumption has declined by a third, the obesity rates have increased by a quarter, so if obesity was solely related to soda, it should've also gone down if they were directly correlated." https://abcn.ws/2HIguuQ

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