SODAS AND OBESITY

Health specialists see a connection between a huge increase in teen-agers’ soda consumption and a surge in obesity and tooth decay. A group of Mainers decided last week to do something about it. Their appropriate target: vending machines in the high schools.

Fourteen health, nutrition and dental professionals met in Augusta last week at the headquarters of the Maine Center for Public Health to size up the problem and plan a strategy for tackling it. They began with some horror stories. In one school, the teachers voted to remove all the soda vending machines but decided to install one in the teachers’ lounge. In another, students were permitted to plug in or unplug the machines as they pleased. All but 12 Maine high schools are in the federal school lunch program and agree to close down the soda machines during school hours, but many fudge on this rule. Some that abide by it have nearby school hangouts where sodas are available at all hours.

The participants generally agreed on the goal of persuading schools to cut back on sodas and substitute water, milk and fruit juices. But they seemed to leave open the question of whether to halt sodas altogether or offer the students a choice. Some wanted to look for alternative sources for the expensive scoreboards and cash donations that soft-drink vendors offer in return for placement of their machines. One participant warned against harsh actions that would amount to “food police.” Another questioned any head-on confrontation with the soda industry, although he expressed astonishment that a dietary mailing to all dentists in the state did not include the word “soda.”

How to approach the schools proved something of a puzzle. One participant called the schools “feudal systems,” with the superintendent as a lord of the manor and lots of little fiefdoms each doing its own thing. They decided to cover all bases by involving superintendents, teachers, parents, school board members and students. Each school would chart its own policy.

In preparation for a second meeting, on May 10, the group formed informal subcommittees. One will draft a model policy, which could be adapted and adopted by individual schools. Another will develop an information packet on the levels of snack food consumption and the prevalence of obesity and tooth decay. Others will make contact with various state groups to explain the project and enlist support.

Soda manufacturers and vendors have built themselves a lucrative captive market in the nation’s high schools. With a few exceptions like Orono High School, the schools have accepted the situation and value the scoreboards and off-budget funds that they get.

Now, at last, a concerted counter force is taking shape. The group that met last week has already made a strong start. Once it has charted a strategy, the rest of this move toward a healthier Maine will be up to each school, its faculty, its students and their parents.