Efforts continue to eliminate soda in schools

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- Summer vacation is quickly coming to an end and there’s new word on efforts to make school cafeterias more healthful places to eat.

There’s been a big push in recent years against the epidemic of childhood obesity. That means a bigger role for schools in keeping fattening foods off cafeteria menus and sugary sodas are on the top of the hit list.

A study in the archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine finds progress in banishing the belt-busting beverages.

In the 2010-11 academic year, the number of students who could buy a regular soda decreased overall by 50 percent. 25 percent of high school students could still purchase regular soda, while only 13 percent of middle school students had access.

The bad news is that sugar-saturated fruit drinks and sports drinks are still widely available. So there’s more work to do in slimming down the sugary content in students’ diets.