Nothing, apparently, can come between US students and sugary drinks. In states where schools banned sugary soft drinks to reduce calorie counts, children simply brought in their own, consuming equal amounts to those in states that didn't implement the ban.
Dan Taber at the University of Illinois in Chicago analysed 6900 questionnaires sent to students in 40 states in 2006 and 2007. Irrespective of availability in schools, around 85 per cent of respondents said they consumed sweetened drinks at least once a week, and a quarter to a third imbibed daily.
The policy still has worth, Taber says. "[The bans] have improved the school food environment." He hopes they will now be supplemented with measures such as a tax on sweet drinks and distancing fast-food outlets from schools.
"The study clearly shows that isolated efforts are insufficient to improve nutrition to prevent obesity," says Arne Astrup of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, who has investigated links between sugary drinks and weight gain. "What's needed is a much more comprehensive strategy that attacks the problem from several angles," he says.
Journal reference: Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, DOI: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.200
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