FRIDAY, Feb. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The number of vending machines selling so-called "competitive foods" may be partly determined by whether a school gets a percentage of the profits, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Claudia Probart, Ph.D., R.D., of Pennsylvania State University in Harrisburg, Pa., and colleagues analyzed surveys of 228 school foodservice directors from a random sample of Pennsylvania high schools.
The researchers found that the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals and the timing of lunch were significant predictors of a la carte food sales. The number of less nutritious food items offered in vending machines and the presence of soft drink machines for which schools get a percentage of sales both predicted the number of vending machines per student, the report indicates.
"These findings may be useful to school wellness councils in developing wellness policies as mandated by the Child Nutrition and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children Reauthorization Act of 2004, as well as in structuring school environments to promote more healthful food choices by students," the authors write.
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