No Soda At School? 'Whatever,' Say Kids

Schools around the country have tried to encourage healthy eating habits by eliminating soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages -- sometimes called SSBs -- from offerings at school.

But researchers found that taking those drinks off school menus doesn't do much to lower consumption.

For the study, they looked at four schools in Maine that reduced availability for a year and three that didn't make a change. In following 456 students, they found that they all drank less soda, whichever type of school they attended.

"A better understanding of beverage consumption patterns may be needed to determine the efficacy of school food policies on those youth susceptible to obesity," said author Janet E. Whatley Blum.

Information available to the public about the study did not say if teens in each group lowered their consumption by the same amount.

The study appears in the November/December 2008 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.