(Press-News.org) The association between district and state policies or legal requirements regarding competitive food and beverages (food and beverages sold outside the school meal program) and public elementary school availability of foods and beverages high in fats, sugars, or sodium was examined in a study Jamie F. Chriqui, Ph.D., M.H.S., and colleagues at the University of Illinois at Chicago. (Online First)
Survey respondents at 1,814 elementary schools (1,485 unique) in 957 districts in 45 states (food analysis) and 1,830 elementary schools (1,497 unique) in 962 districts and 45 states (beverage analysis) participated in the study during the school years 2008-2009 and 2010-2011.
According to the study results, sweets were 11.2 percent less available (32.3 percent versus 43.5 percent) when both the district and state limited sugar content, respectively. Regular-fat baked goods were less available when the state law limited fat content. Regular-fat ice cream was less available when any policy limited competitive food fat content. Sugar-sweetened beverages were 9.5 percent less available when prohibited by district policy (3.6 percent versus 13.1 percent). Higher-fat milks (2 percent or whole milk) were less available when prohibited by district policy or state law.
"Both district and state policies and/or laws have the potential to reduce in-school availability of high-sugar, high-fat foods and beverages. Given the need to reduce empty calories in children's diets, governmental policies at all levels may be an effective tool," the study concludes.
###
(JAMA Pediatr. Published online June 10, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.32. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)
Editor's Note: This study was supported in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the Bridging the Gap Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Please see the articles for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
Effect of policies by school districts, states on items sold outside the school meal program
2013-06-11
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Intervention needed to reduce lifelong effects associated with childhood neglect and emotional abuse
2013-06-11
Preschool children who have been neglected or emotionally abused exhibit a range of emotional and behavioral difficulties and adverse mother-child interactions that indicate these children require prompt evaluation and interventions, according to a systematic review by Aideen Mary Naughton, M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O., D.C.H., F.R.C.P.C.H., of Public Health Wales, Pontypool, England, and colleagues. (Online First)
A total of 42 studies of children age 0 to 6 years with confirmed neglect or emotional abuse who had emotional, behavioral, and developmental features recorded or for ...
Effect of use of vegetable fat on risk of death in men with prostate cancer
2013-06-11
Replacing carbohydrates and animal fat with vegetable fat may be associated with a lower risk of death in men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.
"Nearly 2.5 million men currently live with prostate cancer in the United States, yet little is known about the association between diet after diagnosis and prostate cancer progression and overall mortality," according to the study background.
Erin L. Richman, Sc.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues ...
Association between hypoglycemia, dementia in older adults with diabetes
2013-06-11
A study of older adults with diabetes mellitus (DM) suggests a bidirectional association between hypoglycemic (low blood glucose) events and dementia, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.
There is a growing body of evidence that DM may increase the risk for developing cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia, and there is research interest in whether DM treatment can prevent cognitive decline. When blood glucose declines to low levels, cognitive function is impaired and severe ...
Low diastolic blood pressure may be associated with brain atrophy
2013-06-11
Low baseline diastolic blood pressure (DBP) appears to be associated with brain atrophy in patients with arterial disease, whenever declining levels of blood pressure (BP) over time among patients who had a higher baseline BP were associated with less progression of atrophy, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Neurology, a JAMA Network publication.
"Studies have shown that both high and low blood pressure (BP) may play a role in the etiology of brain atrophy. High BP in midlife has been associated with more brain atrophy later in life, whereas studies ...
Genetic research clarifies link between hypertension and vitamin D deficiency
2013-06-11
Paris, France: Low levels of vitamin D can trigger hypertension, according to the world's largest study to examine the causal association between the two. Although observational studies have already shown this link, a large-scale genetic study was necessary before the cause and effect could be proven, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) will hear today (Tuesday).
Dr. Vimal Karani S, from the Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK, will tell the meeting that data from the D-CarDia collaboration, involving 35 ...
UMD scientists publish key findings on regional, global impact of trade on the environment
2013-06-11
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- In the wake of concerns over climate change and other emergent environmental issues, both individuals and governments are examining the impact of consumer and producer behavior and policies. In two new studies, three researchers from the University of Maryland's Department of Geographical Sciences publish groundbreaking findings on the environmental impact of globalization, production and trade at both regional and international scales, and anticipate that their research will inform key environmental policies and consumer and corporate attitudes in ...
Medicare beneficiaries substantially more likely to use brand-name drugs than VA patients
2013-06-11
PITTSBURGH, June 10, 2013 – Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes are two to three times more likely to use expensive brand-name drugs than a comparable group of patients treated within the VA Healthcare System, according to a nationwide study by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and Dartmouth College.
Spending in Medicare Part D would have been an estimated $1.4 billion less in 2008 if brand-name and generic drug use matched that of the VA for the medications studied. The report, the first large-scale comparison of prescription ...
Unfrozen mystery: H2O reveals a new secret
2013-06-11
Washington, D.C.—Using revolutionary new techniques, a team led by Carnegie's Malcolm Guthrie has made a striking discovery about how ice behaves under pressure, changing ideas that date back almost 50 years. Their findings could alter our understanding of how the water molecule responds to conditions found deep within planets and could have implications for energy science. Their work is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
When water freezes into ice, its molecules are bound together in a crystalline lattice held together by hydrogen bonds. ...
Men with prostate cancer should eat healthy vegetable fats
2013-06-11
Men with prostate cancer may significantly improve their survival chances with a simple change in their diet, a new study led by UC San Francisco has found.
By substituting healthy vegetable fats – such as olive and canola oils, nuts, seeds and avocados – for animal fats and carbohydrates, men with the disease had a markedly lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer and dying from other causes, according to the study.
The research, involving nearly 4,600 men with non-metastatic prostate cancer, could help with the development of dietary guidelines for men with ...
To germinate, or not to germinate, that is the question…
2013-06-11
Scientists at the University of York have uncovered new insights into the way seeds use gene networks to control when they germinate in response to environmental signals.
Timing of seed germination is crucial for survival of plants in the wild and is also important for commercial seed production where there is a need to ensure uniform growth.
A cold environment can signal an imminent winter so the mother plant produces dormant seeds that will not grow until the following spring. A warmer environment can signal an early summer with the mother plant producing seeds that ...