Variation in access to sugar-sweetened beverages in vending machines across rural, town and urban high schools

作者：Adachi Mejia A M^*; Longacre M R; Skatrud Mickelson M; Li Z; Purvis L A; Titus L J; Beach M L; Dalton M A

来源：Public Health, 2013, 127(5): 485-491.

DOI：10.1016/j.puhe.2013.01.024

• Adolescent
• Sugar-sweetened beverage
• School nutrition
• Obesity policy

Objectives: The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans include reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Among the many possible routes of access for youth, school vending machines provide ready availability of sugar-sweetened beverages. The purpose of this study was to determine variation in high school student access to sugar-sweetened beverages through vending machines by geographic location e urban, town or rural e and to offer an approach for analysing school vending machine content.
Study design: Cross-sectional observational study.
Methods: Between October 2007 and May 2008, trained coders recorded beverage vending machine content and machine-front advertising in 113 machines across 26 schools in New Hampshire and Vermont, USA.
Results: Compared with town schools, urban schools were significantly less likely to offer sugar-sweetened beverages (P = 0.002). Rural schools also offered more sugar-sweetened beverages than urban schools, but this difference was not significant. Advertisements for sugar-sweetened beverages were highly prevalent in town schools.
Conclusions: High school students have ready access to sugar-sweetened beverages through their school vending machines. Town schools offer the highest risk of exposure; school vending machines located in towns offer up to twice as much access to sugar-sweetened beverages in both content and advertising compared with urban locations. Variation by geographic region suggests that healthier environments are possible and some schools can lead as inspirational role models.

• 出版日期2013-5