Environmental nutrition policy in school settings: The public debate

Background: In February 2006, nutrition bills that included restrictions on the sales of sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages in schools were introduced in the state legislatures in Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Maryland. Within months, the bills had met different fates. We analyzed the public debate over enacting state-level environmental nutrition policy focused on school settings. Method: A qualitative and quantitative content analysis of news and opinion coverage, text of the bills, and available legislative testimony in Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts and Maryland. To serve as a control, we also analyzed the news and opinion coverage in Ohio, which did not have state-level legislation on this issue in 2006. We sampled each state's newspapers available in the LexisNexis database. Results: The sample yielded 257 news and opinion pieces, distributed by state as follows: Connecticut (43), Indiana (37), Massachusetts (95), Maryland (21), and Ohio (61). Prominent frames included obesity is complicated; individual choice; school achievement and nutrition are connected; and schools need revenue. Many of these frames reflect those found in California's initial debates over selling sodas in schools. We also compared news frames to those found in the legislation and testimony. Implications: This study elucidates the arguments being made in favor of healthy food environments and identifies those arguments public health advocates will face from their opposition. A clear understanding of these sets of arguments will help public health advocates make their case for prevention policy and anticipate their opposition.