Adolescent weight directly linked to school food standards

Adolescents in states with strict laws regulating the sale of snacks and sugary drinks in public schools gained less weight over a three-year period than those living in states with no such laws, according to a new study in Pediatrics.

Strong laws were defined as those that set out detailed nutrition standards. Laws were weak if they merely offered recommendations about foods for sale, for example, saying they should be healthy but not providing specific guidelines.

Students who lived in states with strong laws throughout the entire three-year period gained an roughly 2.25 fewer pounds for a 5-foot-tall child, than adolescents in states with no policies. Obese fifth graders who lived in states with stronger laws were more likely to reach a healthy weight by the eighth grade than those living in states with no laws. Students exposed to weaker laws, however, had weight gains that were not different from those of students in states with no laws at all.

Steve: New government nutrition standards for school meals go into effect this year, raising the bar for the first time in more than 15 years. Schools must meet the standards to get federal meal reimbursements. Hopefully, the aforementioned study will spur them on to adhere quicker to the new standards.