ban on sugary drinks helps middle schoolers

by Diane Lofshult

Food for Thought:

Researchers from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently reported that local school districts can make a significant difference by adopting policies that govern the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on campus.

After comparing different schools’ SSB policies throughout the state of Washington, there were some encouraging findings. Key among them was that stronger SSB policies do work by limiting the availability of SSBs and, perhaps more importantly, students in districts with stronger SSB policies consumed fewer of these sugar-laden drinks.