HHS HealthBeat (November 3, 2009)

More schools with less

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

It looks like schools are doing better at stocking less junk food. That turned up in data from 34 states in 2006 and 2008. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the numbers. They say the median percentage of secondary schools that didn’t sell candy or higher-fat salty snacks increased from 46 percent to 64 percent.

CDC researcher Howell Wechsler:

[Howell Wechsler speaks] "Removing less-nutritious foods and beverages from schools is an important part of a comprehensive strategy for obesity prevention because it could help reduce children’s total caloric intake."

Some states did better than others at getting the junk out. Mississippi and Tennessee, for instance, jumped from near the bottom to near the top.

The study was in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011