U.S. Rejects Mayor’s Plan to Ban Use of Food Stamps to Buy Soda

A recent article in the New York Times discusses how federal officials recently rejected Mayor Bloomberg's plan to bar NYC food stamp recipients from buying sodas and other sugary drinks with the food stamps.

In October, city and state officials proposed a two-year experiment to see if the prohibition would reduce obesity among food stamp recipients. With obesity running rampant in low-income neighborhoods, it was thought that limiting consumption of sodas and other drinks with high sugar content could help reverse that trend. But the city received a letter from Washington stating the proposed experiment would have been “too large and complex” to implement and evaluate.

Instituting a phaseout of sugary drinks on city property in Boston

The mayor of Boston has given a new executive order to phase out sugary drinks within the next six months from city property. The mayor said that the move was intended to set an example for the city.

You can read more about this on the Harvard School of Public Health news article covering the subject.

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles of interest that have been published within the last 7-10 days:

Health
1. CDC: Soda still common among teens, LA Times, 6/17/2011:
Brief Intro: "Only 24% said they drank regular soda (or pop), though when other sugary drinks such as sports drinks, sweetened coffee drinks (ah, yes, those sweetened coffee drinks) or flavored milk were counted, almost 63% of high school students said they drank sweetened beverages daily."

2. HHS again turns focus to prevention, Medpage Today, 6/17/2011:
Brief Intro:"The prevention effort will also tap leaders in "states, local communities, businesses, and nonprofit groups. It's going to take a commitment from all Americans and their families to take advantage of new healthy choices they have," Sebelius said."

3. Kids with government insurance wait longer for some care, Reuters, 6/17/2011:
Brief Intro:"The study, in the June 16 New England Journal of Medicine, "is clear and convincing evidence" that children with public insurance are treated differently, she said, "and it's across the system."

Childhood: A Caffeine Buzz From Soft Drinks

An article in the New York Times discusses a small study completed by an urban pediatric clinic that suggests that children younger than 12 may be routinely drinking so much caffeine that it could interfere with their sleep. The source was almost exclusively caffeinated soft drinks. About 78% of the 228 children in the study consumed caffeine - with children 5-7 consuming about 52milligrams per day and children 8-12 consuming about 109 milligrams.

The study was published online in The Journal of Pediatrics.

New York Asks to Bar Use of Food Stamps to Buy Sodas

According to an article published in the New York Times, Mayor Bloomberg is looking to ban the purchase of sodas with food stamps. The request was made to the USDA and is part of an aggressive anti-obesity push by the mayor that has included advertisements, stricter rules on food sold in schools, and an unsuccessful attempt to impose a tax on the product.

The request was a ban for two years to study whether or not it would have a positive impact on health and whether a permanent ban was merited.