Laws that ban junk food sold in schools may be making a difference in the fight against childhood obesity, according to today’s article in the New York Times. The study published in American Academy of Pediatrics, used data on 6,300 fifth to eighth grade students in 40 states over a period of time and found adolescents tended to weigh less if they lived in states with strong laws limiting unhealthy foods (or competitive foods) in schools.
While the study doesn’t prove a direct link between healthier weights in adolescents and fewer unhealthy snacks in schools, it suggests a strong correlation. “Competitive-food laws can have an effect on obesity rates if the laws are specific, required and consistent,” said Daniel Taber, a fellow at the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who was one of the authors of the study.
Read the New York Times article: Study Links Healthier Weight in Children With Strict Laws on School Snacks
