Commercial activity permitted in schools, such as soft drink
ads; the use of Channel One broadcasts in classrooms; sales
incentives from soft drink bottlers; and exclusive beverage
contracts may discourage a "nutrition-friendly" environment for
students, says researchers. Dr. Claudia Probart, Penn State
associate professor of nutritional sciences who led the study,
says, "Schools’ newly created wellness policies as mandated by
the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 provide
ideal opportunities to examine school environments for
advertising that might conflict with their goals for a healthy
climate for students." The study is detailed in the current
(December) issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic
Association in a paper, "Existence and Predictors of Soft Drink
Advertisements in Pennsylvania High Schools." The authors are
Probart; Elaine McDonnell, project coordinator, Penn State; Lisa
Bailey-Davis, director of operations, Pennsylvania Advocates for
Nutrition and Activity; and J. Elaine