PureInsight | October 3, 2005
A recent survey conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research reveals that more than two-thirds of California teens drink soda on a daily basis, and that nearly half eat fast food every day.
More alarming is that more than 300,000 teens eat fast food twice a day, and nearly 90,000 teens eat fast food three or more times each day.
The survey also uncovers the fact that a third of California teens drink two or more sodas daily, which in turn leads to an increase in fast food consumption.
Unfortunately, this increase in fast food consumption is not balanced with an increase in fruit and vegetable consumption. In fact, the two go in the opposite direction.
The study was based on data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey, which was conducted in five languages among 40,000 households throughout the state. Susan H. Babey, a research scientist at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, said, "We used data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey to examine soda and fast food consumption among adolescents (ages 12-17) in California."
According to the survey, schools play an important role in teenagers' soda consumption. In a press release posted on the UCLA website, Babey stated that, "… students who have access to soda in vending machines at school drink 25 percent more soda than those that don't."
While childhood obesity continues to be a pressing issue, "Recent legislation in California will eliminate the sale of soda and other sweetened beverages on high school campuses," said Babey. She added that, "Similar standards had already been established for elementary and middle schools."
The American Beverage Association (ABA) stated in a recent press release that it is doing its part in addressing this issue by implementing a new policy for beverage availability on school grounds. The ABA is working toward three objectives, one of which is to limit the selection of soft drinks in vending machines to no more than 50 percent of the available beverages.
