November 9/Washington/The Atlantic -- Though several states have instituted soda bans in school, the regulation of other sugar-sweetened beverages, such as sports refreshments and fruit drinks, has been relatively lax. At the end of the day, how effective are these policies in curbing overall consumption of sugary drinks?
University of Illinois at Chicago researchers led by Daniel R. Taber surveyed 6,900 students in fifth and eighth grade from public schools in 40 states about their in-school access to sugar-sweetened beverages as well as their overall intake of these drinks. They then compared purchase and consumption patterns in schools with no beverage policies and schools with restrictions on in-school purchases of soda or all sugar-sweetened beverages.