Study Links Healthier Weight in Children With Strict Laws on School Snacks.

[elleng]

Source: nyt

Adolescents in states with strict laws regulating the sale of snacks and sugary drinks in public schools gained less weight over a three-year period than those living in states with no such laws, a new study has found.

The study, published Monday in Pediatrics, found a strong association between healthier weight and tough state laws regulating food in vending machines, snack bars and other venues that were not part of the regular school meal programs. Such snacks and drinks are known as competitive foods, because they compete with school breakfasts and lunches.

The conclusions are likely to further stoke the debate over what will help reduce obesity rates, which have been rising drastically in the United States since the 1980s. So far, very little has proved effective and rates have remained stubbornly high. About a fifth of American children are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Public health experts have urged local and state governments to remove competitive foods from schools, and in recent years states have started to pass laws that restrict their sale, either banning them outright or setting limits on the amount of sugar, fat or calories they contain.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/13/health/research/study-links-healthy-weight-in-children-with-tough-snack-and-sugary-drinks-laws.html?hp

[unc70]

1. Don't ignore adenovirus-36

It causes nearly 30% of obesity including most of the really severe cases.

Because it is partially insect transmitted, it affects the poor, Blacks, Southerners more. No air conditioning means more insects. (It is a bit like pink eye.). The RW use this as part of their attacks on both Food Stamps and Health Care Reform.

More dog whistles. These seem to work really well here at DU, too.

[Suji to Seoul]

2. another unfunded mandate put on the schools because parents have

stopped being parents.

You want your kids to eat healthy. . .make it part of their lives when they are young. Don't goose them up on sucrose and refined sugar as babies.

Logic. This is why I eat only fruits and fruit based anything. Because it's all I had. I never ate any candy or drank soda. It was a privilege to get it and I only got it sparingly.

Try it. It works, health food reformed eaters.

[aquart]

3. How about a link between weight and vending machines in schools?

Nice little money makers.

[grilled onions]

4. We Did Have Fewer Temptations

Grade school was a brown bag only establishment. The scent of bologna with mustard,peanut butter and over ripe bananas clung to us for years. As we moved on into higher grades and actually had a cafeteria we had few treats. The only vending machine was an apple machine. There was an ice milk bar treat if you could afford it and we were not lose our "student privilege", an infraction we would earn as a group if there was one tray not returned after a lunch and would continue for a week. We also would get such punishment if gum wrappers were littered around etc. The only beverage we had was milk. Bottled water did not exist and our water fountains were grim at best. It seems rather primitive now but we were fed basics like stew and meatloaf. The fast food kind of menu items like nuggets or juice boxes did not exist. While it may not have been what we, as teens, would have wanted it seemed healthier then what they serve today.