Stricter health foods laws help combat obesity
~!!~The study followed changes in weight for 6300 students in 40 states, and matched these changes to the students home states// The states were grouped into states with no laws regulating competitive foods in schools, states with weak laws, and states with strong laws covering such foods// Strong laws included specific guidelines about nutritional standards, while weak laws included those with more general recommendations, and the categories were determined using the National Cancer Institute*s Classification of Laws Associated with School Students database//©
~!!~The results showed that students living in strong~law states gained less weight than students in no~law states// The students in strong~law states gained an average of 0//44 units fewer than their counterparts in no~law states// The study also found that students who began the study as obese were more likely to reach a healthy weight if they lived in strong~law states than if they lived in no law states// The study found no significant difference between students in weak~law and no~law states//©