School soft drink ban has limited effect

Does banning soft drink sales in elementary schools reduce how much soda children drink? Somewhat, but not much, a new study finds. Researchers say that when they compared the soft drink consumption of children at schools where it was sold and children at schools where it was not, they did not find a big difference. Only about 4 percent fewer children from the no-soda schools said they did not drink it. The study, which appears in the September issue of The Journal of the American Dietetic Association, analyzed surveys done in 2004 that looked at more than 10,000 fifth graders in 40 states.To read The New York Times article, click here.