| In: Obesity, Public Health Policy
Public Schools Must Confront Childhood Obesity
There is much talk about what role the public school system must take in confronting childhood obesity. The worst thing to do is to keep talking and take no action. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial points out the politics involved in Georgia schools that slow the removal of sugary drinks in vending machines (not atypical at all in America):
The availability of junk foods in so many schools ought to be of special concern in Georgia, where 43 percent of third-graders are overweight or obese. A recent study ranked Georgia 14th in the nation for adult obesity and 12th among youths aged 10 through 17. Schools know that their students would be better off quenching their thirst at the water fountain than at the vending machine, but the fountain doesn’t pay for band uniforms or football fields.
Because of the tremendous profits from vending machine sales, schools set aside the nutritional values they maintain in their cafeterias and preach in their health classes. Districts boost their profits by entering into exclusive lucrative contracts with Coke or Pepsi, thus teaching their students that everything has a price, even their health.