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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Amanda Purcell, MPH, Public Health Institute, P.O. Box 942732, MS-675, Sacramento, CA 94234, 916-445-3513, APurcell@dhs.ca.gov
The decision to enter into a beverage contract carries health implications for children. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the per capita soft-drink consumption has increased almost 500 percent over the past five years. A recent study published in the journal Lancet showed that for each additional serving of sugar-sweetened beverage, such as soda and fruit-flavored drinks, that children consumed, both their Body Mass Index (BMI) and frequency of obesity increased. This qualitative analysis examines the prevalence and specifics of district-wide contracts with soft drink companies in California’s 25 largest public school districts, with an interest in describing provisions that could result in increased soft drink consumption by students. Soda is available to students in an overwhelming majority of California’s largest school districts. In most cases, school districts delegate responsibility for soda availability to individual school site administrators. However, district-level contracting practices also were present. The examined contracts contained provisions that encourage soda sales in multiple schools. The presence of soda and laboriously-detailed district beverage contracts provide compelling evidence that beverage companies have mounted successful efforts to establish and maintain a strong presence in California schools.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Child Health, School Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.