More Schools Saying 'No' to Unhealthy Foods
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By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 10/26/2009 2:05:00 PM
Soda, candy, and other unhealthy foods and drinks are starting to disappear from middle and high schools across the country, says a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Availability of Less Nutritious Snack Foods and Beverages in Secondary Schools” says the greatest improvements are in states like Mississippi and Tennessee, which have adopted strong school nutrition standards and policies for foods and beverages sold outside school meal programs.
Mississippi saw an increase from 22 percent in 2006 to 75 percent in 2008 in the number of secondary schools that stopped selling soda or 100 percent fruit drinks, while Tennessee saw an increase from 27 percent to 74 percent.
In Hawaii, Connecticut, California, and Maine, more than two-thirds of secondary schools don’t sell baked goods, non low-fat salty snacks, candy, soda, or fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice, the report says.
“Efforts to improve the school nutrition environment are working, and Mississippi and Tennessee are excellent examples of this progress,” says Howell Wechsler, director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health. “However, there are still far too many schools selling less nutritious foods and beverages.”
Those states slower to change include: Utah, Kansas, Idaho, and Nebraska, with only less than one-third of secondary schools there saying no to these unhealthy items. All states that participated in the survey, except Nebraska, showed significant improvement between 2002 and 2008 in the percentage of schools not selling candy or salty snacks.
The report, published in the CDC’s "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report," shows that among the 34 states that collected data in 2006 and 2008, the median percentage of secondary schools that do not sell soda or 100 percent fruit drinks increased from 38 percent to 63 percent. The median percentage of secondary schools in these states that do not sell candy or non low-fat salty snacks increased from 46 percent in 2006 to 64 percent in 2008.
“The school environment is a key setting for influencing children’s food choices and eating habits,” adds Wechsler. “By ensuring that only healthy food options are available, schools can model healthy eating behaviors,
help improve students’ diets, and help young people establish lifelong healthy eating habits.”
This study used data from School Health Profiles, a biennial survey of middle schools and high schools. Elementary schools were omitted mainly because far fewer of them sell foods and beverages outside of school meal programs.
The study also didn’t explore whether schools sold organic foods or if they were actually selling more nutritious foods, like fruit and water. However, in 2008, a median of 32.8 percent of secondary schools across states allowed students to purchase fruit in vending machines or at school stores, canteens, or snack bars, says Nancy D. Brener, the CDC’s team leader for the Division of Adolescent and School Health.
School Health Profiles is conducted by state education and health agencies among representative samples of large urban secondary schools. Self-administered questionnaires are sent to the principal and lead health education teacher at each selected school. The 2008 report includes data from 47 states, 20 cities, and four territories. The 2008 data are available at www.cdc.gov/schoolhealthprofiles.
