The health community was taken aback by a recent study conducted by Pennsylvania State University researchers and published in the January 2012 issue of Sociology of Education by the American Sociological Association. The study challenges the notion that junk food sold in schools contributes to childhood obesity. Tracking thousands of children from kindergarten to eighth grade over the nine-year period from 1998 to 2007, the study found surprising results that prompted a two-year delay in publication.
Lead author Jennifer Van Hook expressed astonishment, stating, "We were really surprised by the result and, in fact, we held back from publishing our study for roughly two years because we kept looking for a connection that just wasn't there."
Contrary to expectations, the study revealed that despite easy access to junk food in schools for children in Grades 5 through 8, there was no increase in the number of overweight or obese students. In fact, the incidence of obesity decreased from 39.1% to 35.4% during the same period. The data suggests that efforts to combat unhealthy weight in children should be more focused on environments outside of school, particularly the home.
The researchers proposed that the limited time children have to eat during school hours, coupled with their active engagement, results in fewer opportunities for in-school consumption compared to continuous eating possibilities at home. The study also indicated that the availability of junk food at school may not necessarily correlate with the actual consumption of such foods by students during the day.
This conclusion, however, has not been universally embraced by governments and health agencies advocating for healthy eating habits to combat childhood obesity. The World Health Organization, in 2010, recommended the complete elimination of junk food from schools and playgrounds. Many public schools across the country responded by removing junk food and soda vending machines entirely.
The study's findings raise questions about the effectiveness of such measures, suggesting that a child's eating habits are predominantly shaped before they reach school age. Furthermore, it underscores that the presence of fatty foods in schools may not be the sole factor contributing to obesity, as children can readily bring unhealthy snacks from home.
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