CDC Says Kids Lack Access to Healthy Foods

ATLANTAA new report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called on U.S. states to do more to improve food access, regulations and policies to promote healthy eating habits and fight childhood obesity.

According to the 2011 Children's Food Environment State Indicator Report, 32 states and the District of Columbia scored at or below the national average for the Modified Retail Food Environment Index (mRFEI), a measure of the proportion of food retailers that typically sell healthy foods within a state.  Scores can range from 0 (no food retailers that typically sell healthy food) to 100 (only food retailers that typically sell healthy food). States with lower mRFEI scores have more food retailers, such as fast food restaurants and convenience stores, that are less likely to sell less healthy foods and fewer food retailers, such as supermarkets, that tend to sell healthy foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Nationally, the average mRFEI score was 10. State-by-state scores ranged from highs of 16 in Montana and 15 in Maine to lows of 5 in Rhode Island and 4 in the District of Columbia.

As of December 2008, only Georgia had enacted all of the following state licensure regulations for child care facilities: to restrict sugar drinks, to require access to drinking water throughout the day, and to limit TV and computer screen time. Twenty-nine states had enacted one of the regulations, while 13 states and the District of Columbia had enacted none.

Forty-nine percent of middle and high schools allowed less healthy foods like candy, soft drinks and fast-food restaurants to be advertised to students on school grounds. Nearly 70 percent of Ohio middle and high schools allowed the advertising, while in New York only 24 percent of schools allowed it.

"To feed their children healthy food at home, parents must have ready access to stores that sell affordable, healthy food," said William Dietz, M.D., Ph.D., director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. "Parents also want their children to continue eating well in school or child care facilities. This report highlights actions that states, communities, and individuals can take to improve children's food choices and influences."