Stricter junk food laws in schools may help curb obesity
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A new study shows laws curbing junk food in schools can have an effect on childhood obesity. Video by ktnv.com
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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- A new study says that strict state laws on junk food in schools may help curb childhood obesity.
The study was done over a three-year period and will be released today in the journal Pediatrics.
The authors of the study analyzed data on 6,300 students in 40 states.
Their heights and weights were measured in 2004 when they were finishing the fifth grade.
Then, they were measured again in 2007 upon finishing the eighth grade.
According to the results of the study, children gained less weight during that time period if they lived in states with strong, consistent laws on junk fund in school.
In states with no relevant laws, the overweight and obese children they studied stayed virtually the same.
There are currently no laws regarding junk food in Nevada. Nevada lawmakers proposed a tax on junk food last year but there was not much support for the law at that time.
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