A new report published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine shows that high school students in California, where schools started cracking down on junk food in school cafeterias five years ago, consume fewer calories and less fat and sugar at school than students in other states.
The study's findings suggest that state policies can be successful in influencing the eating habits of teenagers. The study found that California high school students consumed on average nearly 160 calories fewer per day than students in other states, the equivalent of cutting out a small bag of potato chips. That difference came largely from reduced calorie consumption at school, and there was no evidence that students were compensating for their limited access to junk food at school by eating more at home.