Norris School District

Students & Their Snack Choices: Delicious, But Not So Nutritious

Recent data from our high school height and weight screenings provided Body Mass Indices for all students.  BMI considers weight in relationship to stature; thus, it is an excellent means of detecting students who are overweight or at risk of being overweight.  The data suggests that Norris High School students are at risk in similar numbers or percentages to the national norms being published in a variety of media sources.

In the ninth grade, over one third of our freshmen are at risk for weight problems or are already overweight.  In the tenth grade, over one fourth of our sophomores are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight based on BMI.  At the junior level, the tally is 30%, while over 28% of our seniors are either overweight or at risk of becoming overweight based on BMI.

As many of our constituents know, there has been increasing media exposure and public outcry over vending in schools.  Many people feel that there is a correlation, if not causality, between vending product purchased at schools or elsewhere and the skyrocketing rate of adolescent obesity in the United States.  Distinguished public interest groups such as the American Pediatrics Association have recommended banning vending in schools.  A bill currently being debated by the Nebraska legislature would ban the sale of “junk foods” in schools.  However, data from Education Week notes that vending in high schools is virtually ubiquitous with over 98% of high schools having a vending machine or school store / snack bar that sells similar products.

At Norris, vending access is already severely restricted.   We continue to offer vending to students and others, however, as this is a valuable source of activities money to support a range of student extracurricular functions and because the district has a current contract with Pepsi.   The snack vending machine is on only before and after school.  The carbonated beverage machines are only on before and after school.  The juice / milk machine is on throughout the day.

In addition to the restrictions on time-of-day access to vending, our students are offered a variety of choices in beverage and snack vending.  Beverages available include reduced-fat milks, water, and 100% juices in addition to the standard sodas and diet colas.  The snack vending machine also offers healthy (or ‘healthier’) choices to students.  These include sugar free wafers, Fig Newtons, fruit snacks, and granola bars. 

So what sells?  Not much of the healthier choices.  When we inquired with Pepsi to determine volume of sales of specific snacks, they were able to provide us with some information about the top-selling vending products at Norris High School.  They include breakfast pastries, Twix candy bars, Skittles candies, Cheetos, and Nacho Cheese Doritos.  Cheez Its and Fruit Snacks are the only reduced-fat / low-fat items that are among the top-sellers.  This data strongly suggests that even when provided healthier choices, students do not necessarily choose wisely.  We will continue to evaluate vending product offerings and will work with Pepsi to add a wider range of healthy choices and narrow down the number of higher-fat, higher-calorie (“empty calorie”) snacks offered.

Finally, a new milk machine is being provided by Pepsi for our Multi-Purpose Room.  This will provide even easier and more consistent access to healthier beverages throughout the day to our student body.  The new machine will be slightly larger than the unit in the high school hallway and should be installed within the next few weeks.

If you have questions or comments about the Norris effort to improve adolescent nutrition or any of the information provided above, please contact John Skretta at john.skretta@norris160.org.