Pediatricians Urge Ban on Soft Drinks in Schools

Soft drinks should be eliminated from schools to help tackle obesity, and doctors should work with their local schools to ensure that children are offered healthful alternatives, the American Academy of Pediatrics said.

In a new policy statement, being published today in the January issue of Pediatrics, the academy said doctors should contact school officials and “emphasize the notion that every school in every district shares a responsibility for the nutritional health of its students.”

The Los Angeles Unified School District voted in 2002 to ban soda sales on campuses starting this year.