Prevention Matters

U.S. schools have cut back on certain "less nutritious" foods and drinks, the CDC reports. The CDC today released new survey data on the percentage of students in public secondary schools who cannot buy candy, salty snacks, fruit drinks that aren't 100% juice, sports drinks, and soda at school.
The percentage of students who couldn't buy candy or salty snacks increased in the 40 states that participated in the survey, from 46% in 2002 to 64% in 2008. The percentage of secondary school students who couldn't buy soft drinks at school rose in all 34 states that tracked that from 2006 to 2008, while 23 of those states have also nixed sales of sports drinks to students.

Mississippi and Tennessee -- home to some of the nation's highest rates of adult obesity -- made the biggest gains in the percentage of secondary school students who can't buy candy, salty snacks, and soft drinks at school.