Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T05:38:43.313Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

De-Fizzing Schools: The Effect on Student Behavior of Having Vending Machines in Schools

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2016

Joshua Price
Joshua Price*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics at the University of Texas at Arlington, in Arlington, Texas
Get access

Abstract

In recent years, many researchers have sought to measure the effects of adolescent soft drink consumption due to a suspected link with childhood obesity and other negative health outcomes. While most studies in the existing literature have focused on physical health outcomes, the current study seeks to analyze how providing soft drinks in vending machines affects adolescent in-school behavior and academics. The data for this analysis comes from a school district in which a subset of schools prohibited the sale of soft drinks in vending machines. Using this subset of schools as a treatment group, students at the treatment schools are compared with students at the schools that did not change their vending machine policies. A difference-in-differences estimation shows that the number of times a student was tardy to class decreased significantly at the treatment schools. Students also were less likely to be referred to the principal's office for behavior problems following the policy change. These results suggest that policies directed toward restrictions on soft drinks in school vending machines might improve behavioral outcomes for students.

Keywords

vending machinesstudent behavior
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review , Volume 41 , Issue 1 , April 2012 , pp. 92 - 99
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. 2004. “Soft Drinks in School.” Pediatrics 113(1): 152–154.Google Scholar
Booth-Thomas, C. 2004. “The Cafeteria Crusader.” Time Magazine (December 17). Abstract available at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1009706,00.html (accessed November 11, 2011).Google Scholar
Burros, M., and Warner, M. 2006. “Bottlers Agree to a School Ban on Sweet Drinks.” New York Times (May 4). Abstract available at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/04/health/04soda.html (accessed November 11, 2011).Google Scholar
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2011. “Childhood Obesity Facts.” Abstract available at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm (accessed November 28, 2011).Google Scholar
Cullen, K.W., Watson, K., Zakeri, I., and Ralston, K. 2008. “Improvements in Middle School Student Dietary Intake after Implementation of the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy.” American Journal of Public Health 98(1): 111–117.Google Scholar
Figlio, D.N., and Winicki, J. 2005. “Food for Thought: The Effects of School Accountability Plans on School Nutrition.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 89(2): 381–394.Google Scholar
Fletcher, J., Frisvold, D., and Tefft, N. 2010a. “Taxing Soft Drinks and Restricting Access to Vending Machines to Curb Child Obesity.” Health Affairs 29(5): 1059–1066.Google Scholar
Fletcher, J., Frisvold, D., and Tefft, N. 2010b. “The Effects of Soft Drink Taxation on Soft Drink Consumption and Weight for Children and Adolescents.” Journal of Public Economics 94(11/12): 967–974.Google Scholar
Hollar, D., Messiah, S.E., Lopez-Mitnik, G., Hollar, L., Almon, M., and Agatston, A. 2010. “Effect of a Two-Year Obesity Prevention on Percentile Changes in Body Mass Index and Academic Performance in Low-Income Elementary School Children.” American Journal of Public Health 100(4): 646–653.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kleinman, R.E., Hall, S., Green, H., Korzec-Ramirez, D., Patton, K., Pagano, M.E., and Murphy, J.M. 2002. “Diet, Breakfast, and Academic Performance in Children.” Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 46(1): 24–30.Google Scholar
Levy, D.T., Friend, K.B., and Wang, Y.C., 2011. “A Review of the Literature on Policies Directed at the Youth Consumption of Sugar Sweetened Beverages.” Advances in Nutrition 2(2): 1825–2005.Google Scholar
Lien, L., Lien, N., Heyerdahl, S., Thoresen, M., and Bjertness, E. 2006. “Consumption of Soft Drinks and Hyperactivity, Mental Distress, and Conduct Problems Among Adolescents in Oslo, Norway.” American Journal of Public Health 96(1): 1815–1820.Google Scholar
Malik, V.S., Schulze, M.B., and Hu, F.B. 2006. “Intake of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Weight Gain: A Systematic Review.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 84(2): 274–288.Google Scholar
National Conference of State Legislatures. 2005. “Vending Machines in Schools.” Abstract available at http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14108 (accessed November 11, 2011).Google Scholar
Powell, L., Chriqui, J., and Chaloupka, F.J. 2009. “Associations Between State-Level Soda Taxes and Adolescent Body Mass Index.” Journal of Adolescent Health 45(3): 57–63.Google Scholar
Wiecha, J.L., Finkelstein, D., Troped, P.J., Fragala, M., Peterson, K.E. 2006. “School Vending Machine Use and Fast-Food Restaurant Use Are Associated with Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake in Youth.” Journal of the American Dietetic Association 106(10): 1624–1630.Google Scholar