It’s harder for kids to get junk food from vending machines in schools, according to a new federal study. But the report from the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) says while schools are making strides in promoting physical activity, it’s still not enough.
Here are some of the results:
- States prohibiting schools from offering junk food in vending machines went up from 8 percent in 2000 to 32 percent in 2006.
- Schools selling bottled water in vending machines or school stores increased from 30 percent in 2000 to 46 percent in 2006.
- Schools offering salads a la carte increased from 53 percent in 2000 to 73 percent in 2006.
- The percentage of schools that offered French fries a la carte went down from 40 percent to 19 percent.
- States that required elementary schools to have regularly scheduled recess went up from 4 percent in 2000 to 12 percent in 2006.
“If we want to build on the improvements that schools have made over the past six years, we need to involve many people and programs,” said Howell Wechsler, Ed.D., M.P.H., director of CDC′s Division of Adolescent and School Health. “Families, schools, school boards, and school administrators all need to work together to develop and implement policies and programs that promote health and safety among our nation′s young people.”
The CDC study found several areas that need improvement, including:
- 77 percent of high schools still sell soda or fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice, and 61 percent sell salty snacks not low in fat in their vending machines or school stores.
- Only 4 percent of elementary schools, 8 percent of middle schools, and 2 percent of high schools had daily physical education or its equivalent for the entire school year for students in all grades.
- Overall, 22 percent of schools did not require students to take any PE.
According to the CDC, about 17 percent of children and teens ages 2-19 are overweight.
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