Sodas disappear from schools, but sugary drinks remain
By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times
The high school or middle school student who can grab a sugar-sweetened soft drink on school grounds during class hours is becoming a rarity, a new study finds. But lots of kids still can buy high-sugar beverages in schools: Fruit juices and sports drinks that are designed for serious athletes engaged in vigorous physical activity remain widely sold in U.S. middle and high schools.
In 2010-11, 25 percent of high school students had access to sugary sodas during school — either at cafeteria concessions or from vending machines. That was down from 54 percent of high school students in 2006-07. Middle school students’ access to sweetened soft drinks also dropped: in 2006-07, 27 percent had access to sodas and sugary soft drinks; by 2010-11, just 13 percent did.
The study was published Monday in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, and was funded by Bridging the Gap, a research program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.