Introduction Many children under 18 years of age in the United States are overweight or obese. It is possible that excessive sugar in their diet may be contributing to this health issue and concern. This position paper suggests that children and teenagers may be taking in too much sugar partly because of vending machines selling soft drinks in elementary, middle, and high schools. Children are becoming addicted to the sugar in soft drinks because there are so many sodas vending machines available in schools. Perhaps eliminating soft drinks from vending machines in elementary, middle, and high schools will help reduce the sugar epidemic among young people in the United States. Therefore, …show more content…
Therefore, this is a serious problem because it limits students to make healthier choices. It is important to consider creating a policy to help increase healthy foods and drinks options for elementary, middle, and high schools that are funded by the public organization and sold on government agencies. This position policy proposes a cost-effective way of preventing disease for teenagers. Governments annually spends millions of dollars in treating chronic disease to government health programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable care act, etc. (gsa.gov, 2017). Therefore, implementing this policy can help the government in the cost of organization funding, preventing chronic diseases and providing healthy life style. Increasing affordable healthier food and drinks options to school’s cafeterias and vending machines, over time it will decrease the risk of medical …show more content…
It would help improve the diet of millions of students across the country and thus reduce the sugar epidemic. The American Beverage Association, which contracts with schools throughout the country, and makes great profits from this business, represents 20 large companies that account for about 85 percent of school vending beverage sales. Reducing unhealthy options, soft drinks and size in schools would be a first measure in trying to solve a difficult and complex problem for the United States. Dr. Rose Marie Robertson, the chief science officer for the American Heart Association, said in an interview: "It really takes the investment of everybody. But we think this is a terrific first step." According to the Heart Association, the prevalence of overweight and obese children and teenagers has increased from less than 5 percent in 1980 to 16 percent in 2005 (Samuels,
Vending machines should be allowed is because it provides snacks , candy , and drinks . I think vending machines should be allowed in school is because if you are hungry you can go up and by one . Also if you didn’t have breakfast you could get something to eat from there. Last it could help the students in school .
Unhealthy foods are what make the money for schools and that is why they serve them for students. (Schlafy) Schools feel like they need the extra money in the budget, even though it is at the student’s expense. Data shows that nearly 60% of all middle schools in the US serve soda from vending machines. (Schlafy) Soda is very high in sugar and is not at all good for children, but it is still sold in school vending machines. The ways food in schools is now are way too high in fats and sugars. This is not good for the children and very bad in the long run. Elementary schoolchildren have an estimated $15 billion of their own money that they can use to buy whatever they want in schools, and parents have almost another $160 billion to give students for food money. (Schlafy) Big businesses see this as a big source of profit and therefore encourage children to buy their products, and want them to be offered in school because of th4e likelihood of children buying the business’s product. All in all, obesity in the US is greatly influenced by the foods offered in schools
Most schools have vending machines that sell various kinds of candy and chips. Some schools go as far as having school stores. However, organizations such as the FDA think this is unhealthy for students, and should be banned. Schools should be allowed to have vending machines and school stores. Having vending machines and school stores are the easiest ways for schools to get students to buy things every day. Without these, many schools would not be able to afford to continue numerous school functions. Vending machines and school stores allow students more options for what to eat for lunch. Schools should be allowed to have vending machines and school stores.
Americans eat entirely too much. And the foods we are consuming are not at all healthy, they contain excessive amounts of salt, sugar, saturated fat, carbohydrates, etc. This over eating is not only a severe problem in the adult population but also in America’s children as well. Results from a study performed by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that 1 to 2 year olds get 30 percent more of the 950 calories they require a day. It has also been found that another contributing factor to most children’s bad eating habits is the fact that they either rarely or never consume vegetables and fruit. Besides the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables children are consuming large amounts of sugar. Wether it be in candy or desserts, soda or sugary fruit juices children are beginning to consume these at very early ages. Results from another study performed by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that infants are drinking soda out of baby bottles as early as 7 months of age. In response to these disturbing facts Parents magazine published the preceding article. It outlines 10 steps that can be taken to
Many schools are voting to remove vending machines, and leave the kids hungry or thirsty between classes and after school. Removing the machines is only One fix to the problem. We need to look at other possible solution that could keep the machines in school, and keep snacks available to hungry children. they could very easily stock these machines with healthier options. There are many reasons why taking these machines out of schools would be a mistake.
First of all, an increasing amount of kids are becoming overweight because their schools pressure them to eat sugary, fatty, and high-calorie foods. Not only do many schools promote consumption of harmful foods, many schools also actively serve them in school lunches. In 1963, 4% of kids were obese; currently, approximately 17% of kids are obese. Some might argue that kids themselves are the reason for the increase, because school lunches also provide healthier foods. Unfortunately, most kids do not have much of a choice - healthier foods are priced much higher than their unhealthy counterpart, consequently many parents do not want their kids to buy the more expensive, yet healthier product. In my 3½ years ...
You are out for a quiet lunch with your family, the waitress walks over and your 6 year old child asks for a lemonade with their lunch. Sure, you think one glass of soft drink won’t hurt right? Wrong. That one, seemingly innocent glass of lemonade contains a whopping 6 teaspoons of sugar. I doubt that you would let your child eat 6 teaspoons of sugar from a bowl, so why would you allow them to consume it in the form of a sugary soft drink? Sugar is highly addictive, can cause cancer and is causing childhood obesity. The proliferation of sugar in society is causing widespread problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancers, tooth decay and acid wear. Additionally, Rethink Sugary Drink claims that one can of soft drink a day can lead to an annual
The United States believes soda is crippling children’s health, causing school officials to ban the sale of these sugary drinks from schools. Although soda causes health problems, such as diabetes and obesity, banning soda from schools will not improve children’s overall health. Soda is not the primary culprit of childhood obesity or diabetes; the foods available in schools are equally as detrimental to a child’s health. To see a change in student 's diets, school officials should not only reform soda, but the food as well. Schools should feel compelled to make resources available to educate our kids on clean eating, as proper information would help to improve dietary choices. Even though childhood obesity and other health problems are steadily increasing, soda is not to blame and
In “Hooked on ‘Caramel-Colored Gold,” Melody Nelson claims “Despite the increased awareness of the benefits of good nutrition, we are a nation hooked on junk food, and many school administrators are taking advantage of the situation ” (par. 3). Nelson propose a ban on vending machines in schools because junk food is unhealthy for children, and they risk future health problems. I agree with Melody Nelson and believe that vending machines should be banned from school campuses, because they sell unhealthy food, they cause more money to schools for hiring extra custodians, and they are affecting children learning abilities.
Consumption of soft drinks has an impact on childhood obesity. According to France Ellisle from France’s Institute of Health and Medical Research, there is a direct connection between weight gain and sugar. The average adolescent is consuming about fifteen to twenty teaspoons of sugar daily. (Scott, 2) Along with the sugar children are eating more and more fast food. The sit down dinner has come to an end. In most families both parents work fulltime leaving little time to prepare healthy meals. Parents look for food that is quick, cheap and satisfies the child. The problem with fast food is that has very little nutritious value and is often high in fat and salt content, with a good measure of preservative thrown in....
Childhood obesity epidemic, one of the most detrimental disorders, has maximized social and economical challenges faced by Americans in the 21st century. The United States of America has been always placed in the top-10 most obese countries, a list not be so proud about. Poor dietary habits at school due to consumption of competitive, unhealthy foods have resulted in escalating obesity thereby influencing a student’s performance in and outside school. As a major problem’s solution lies within finding its root, schools with the aid of governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, and institutions, have started to provide valid solutions in an attempt to reverse this epidemic. For instance one major attempt, by the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and the State Board of Education, to alleviate this problem in schools was the introduction of ‘sin-tax’. Schools’ taxed students on purchasing sugar-sweetened beverages but that was not quite successful, as it did not stop the affluent students to purchase high calorific beverages and only targeted students with a low socio-economic background. Thus, the most influential solution implemented by these governmental organizations’ that is responsible for decreasing childhood obesity by quite a large factor is improving school meals by increasing the nutrition standard. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken mandatory mediation steps that involve eliminating the sales of competitive fast food and increasing the supply of high organic nutritious food that meets the USDA requirement thereby improving the nutrition standard. I believe schools, with the intervention of governmental agencies like the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment (SND...
Throughout the United States, concern of rising health issues is a popular topic. Over a progression of many years, American fast food chains and junk food companies have risen as a common means for food replacing homemade family meals. This quick and easy habit of buying cheaply made and sold foods that lack real nutritional value has been reason for increasing health issues. This habit is seen in children just the same as adults. Children eat the quickest meal with the most sugar and fat (among other unhealthy ingredients). This habit needs to be broken to take better care of the children today. Children are eating snack cakes and other junk foods at school instead of the breakfast/lunch that is offered causing bad habits and a poor diet. The children of America are suffering from the effects of malnutrition and yet, society does not help them to better understand or give higher grade options for them to choose from. Therefore, junk food should not be allowed in schools as it imposes health risks on children, lacks requirements for the nutrition contained in them, and without offering them, children would learn many morals/lessons.
The lack of health standards for lunches and other foods in schools are a leading cause of obesity in children. According to studies, children who eat school lunches consume forty more calories each day compared to those who bring their own lunches (Schanzenbach 703). Elizabeth Jackson, a medical doctor at the University of Michigan Health System, reported that children who eat school lunches are over two times more likely to eat fattier foods and more sugary drinks (“Children”). In the past decades, the government has attempted to develop effective lunch programs that limit the intake of unhealthy foods that children eat. The 1995 policy, “School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children,” required school lunches to meet one-third of the recommended number of calories, protein, and certain vitamins and minerals (Schanzenbach 686). Although this policy has been put into place, the government has not enforced it well enough. According to a recent study, only six percent of U.S. schoo...
The health of the nation’s youth has been under scrutiny lately due to recent reports that are showing an increase in average body mass index (BMI), poor physical fitness, and elevations in blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids (Eagle, Gurm, Goldberg, DuRussel-Weston, Kline-Rogers, Palma-Davis, Aaronson, Fitzgerald, Mitchell, Rogers, Breunger, Jackson, and Eagle 2010). Eagle et al. (2010) Attribute the decrease in health to “fast food, lack of physical activity due to increased TV and computer screen time, and there is also an expanding appreciation for an inherited basis for childhood obesity” (P.1185). Sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) account for on average 159 calories daily and an average of 9 tablespoons of added sugar daily (Briefel, Wilson, Cabili, & Hedley Dodd, 2013). ...
School cafeterias and school vending machines do not encourage the best eating habits in schools, high schools in particular. It is more convenient to serve frozen foods like pizzas and frozen lasagnas almost every day. Without realizing how those unhealthy foods are really affecting the kids performances in school and their everyday life activities, such as in physical education class.