Failed policy: Banning sugar-sweetened drinks in schools
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago determined the effect of state policies that regulate beverages among adolescents.
First, the details.
- Students in 5th and 8th grades were studied.
- In-school sugar-sweetened beverages access, in-school purchasing behavior, and consumption (in and out of school) in 8th grade were recorded.
And, the results.
- In states that banned soda…
- The proportions of 8th-grade students that reported in-school sugar-sweetened beverages access and purchasing were similar (67% and 29%, respectively) to with no beverage policy (67% and 26%, respectively).
- In states that banned all sugar-sweetened beverages…
- Fewer students reported in-school sugar-sweetened beverages access or purchasing after adjusting for potentially confounding factors.
- Results were similar among students who reported access to or purchasing of sugar-sweetened beverages in 5th grade vs those who did not.
- Overall sugar-sweetened beverages consumption was not associated with state policy.
- In each policy category, approximately 85% of students reported consuming sugar-sweetened beverages at least once in the past 7 days.
- Supplementary analyses indicated that overall consumption had only a modest association with in-school sugar-sweetened beverage access.
The bottom line?
The authors concluded, “State policies that ban all sugar-sweetened beverages in middle schools appear to reduce in-school access and purchasing of sugar-sweetened beverages but do not reduce overall consumption.”
Why do we continue to allow politicians to institute policies without pre-testing whether they will accomplish their stated goals?
11/8/11 19:10 JR