Improving School Vending Machine Choices

Many individuals and organizations point to vending machines and other 'competitive food/beverages' (i.e. school stores, snack bars, a la carte items, etc) in schools as a major contributor to childhood obesity and poor diet quality among American children.  Two recent research studies continue to reinforce this theory.

A recent study (free to download) published in the September issue of the Journal of School Health examined the use of 'competitive foods/beverages' by over 2,300 school children in grades 1 - 12.  A questionnaire was used to collect information on food consumption over a 24-hour period, which was then used to assess the children's diet quality and nutrient intake.  The results of this survey showed that 22% of school children purchased and consumed foods from competitive venues during the school day and usage was highest in high school students.  The results of this study also showed that consumption of these 'competitive foods/beverages' resulted in poorer diet quality.  School children consuming these foods typically consumed over 200 calories more than school children who did not purchase these foods.  Additionally, consumption of these 'competitive foods/beverages' resulted in increased intake of sugar and decreased intake of fiber, B vitamins, and iron.

A second study investigated how common it was for middle school students (grades 6 - 8) to buy snacks and beverages from vending machines instead of buying the school lunch.  For this study, data was collected from over 4,300 middle school students using the 2003 Florida Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey.  The results of this survey analysis showed that 18% of middle school students purchased a snack or beverage from vending machines 2 or more days during the previous 5 days of school.  The most commonly purchased food items were chips, pretzels/crackers, candy bars, soda, and sport drinks.

It is clear from these two studies, that vending machines are commonly utilized by school children of all ages, though high school students appear to be the most active users.  While many vending machines provide healthier options in addition to the standard fare to which we have grown accustomed, school children still typically choose the less healthy options.  These and previous studies show us that the presence of vending machines in schools, the choices they provide, and the choices the school children make lead to a poorer diet quality and increased energy intake in school children.

Clearly, we need to make improvements in what we are offering school children through these 'competitive food/beverage' options.  Fortunately, it appears that we are slowly making progress in this direction.  An article published in the Chicago Tribune (May 16, 2010) reports that future vending machines will offer more fresh fruits/vegetables, more appropriate portion sizes, and lower calorie options due to tighter state and federal nutrition standards.  While we still have a long way to go, progress is slowly being made.

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