Vending and School Store Snack and Beverage Trends: Minnesota Secondary Schools, 2002–2010
Section snippets
Background
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), high-fat salty snacks, and candy have been mainstays of vending machines and school stores (VMSS) in U.S. secondary schools and high-profile targets when considering policy strategies to combat childhood obesity.1, 2 In the past decade, the IOM, numerous voluntary initiatives, and state and federal legislation have addressed the availability of low-nutrient, energy-dense snacks and beverages in the school setting.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Among these, the Child
Methods
For Minnesota School Health Profiles, school-level data from a stratified random cross-sectional sample of public middle (n=170) and high (n=392) schools were collected biennially from 2002 to 2010. The current study used data from the School Health Profiles principal survey, which is a self-administered, mailed survey completed by principals or designees. For each survey year, at least 70% of the principals in the sample completed the survey, with the exception of 2006, when the response rate
Results
Figure 1 displays crude percentages by year, stratified by school type for each food practice. Across years, VMSS and SSB availability in VMSS were more common in high schools than middle schools, with a few notable exceptions. These include 2002 when SSBs were available in essentially all VMSS in both middle and high schools and 2008 when the proportion of schools reporting VMSS was similar across school type. For both school types, candy and high-fat salty snacks were offered less commonly
Discussion
This study is among the first to examine the availability of VMSS and low-nutrient, energy-dense snacks and beverages sold in VMSS in a statewide sample of secondary schools using data collected biennially from 2002 to 2010, which encompasses the 4 years before and after the 2004 Reauthorization Act was implemented at the start of the 2006/2007 school year. Study results suggest a mixed bag of gains, stalls, and possible reversals in availability of VMSS and SSB, candy, and high-fat, salty
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