Secondary schools in Hawai'i were cited in a new national report as the leaders in cutting back on sales of junk foods and beverages, such as candy and soda.   The report, "Availability of Less Nutritious Snack Foods and Beverages in Secondary Schools," was published this week in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.  Data were collected from 40 states from 2002 to 2008.

Last year, the report says, 88.2 percent of students in Hawai'i secondary schools could not buy candy or salty snacks from vending machines or at a school store or snack bar.  By comparison, only 18.2 percent of secondary school students in Utah could not buy candy or salty snacks at school.

In Hawai'i, Dave Randall, education specialist for health and physical education for the state Department of Education, attributed the high percentage of schools not offering junk food to the state's stringent wellness policy, which was developed according to nutrition guidelines from the Institute of Medicine. A 2004 federal law required school districts to implement a wellness policy, but gave wide latitude in how strict the guidelines should be, Randall said.   "As a department, we wanted to aim high," Randall said. "The group that was brought together to put together the wellness guidelines wanted to do what was best for kids."

The guidelines for the Wellness Policy should be fully implemented by 2011, and include requiremens for physical education and school lunches. 

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