Area schools urged to quit soda habit.

Byline: Tim Christie The Register-Guard

In the commons area next to the "Miller Mart" snack bar at Springfield High School, dozens of students gather at lunchtime to munch and socialize, washing down pizza, ramen noodles and nachos with bottles of Pepsi, Sprite or Dr Pepper.

Here's freshman Andrew McAdams working on a 20-ounce Pepsi, one of several he'll drink this day. His father is a salesman for the local Pepsi-Cola bottler, and he blanches at the thought of a school without soda.

"That would suck," he said.

But the nation's pediatricians say soft drinks contribute to an epidemic of childhood obesity in America and have no place in schools. Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement, urging member doctors to lobby schools to eliminate sugary drinks on campus.

Soda pop bans already are in place or pending in school districts in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

Now a group of local pediatricians, led by Dr. Kevin Marks of Eugene, has taken up the cause. Marks plans to send a letter to every school district in the area this week, signed by as many as 40 pediatricians from PeaceHealth Medical Group, Oregon Medical Group and independent practices.

The letter urges districts to eliminate sweetened drinks from schools, and promote healthier offerings, such as water, milk and fruit and vegetable juices. They also suggest each district form a nutrition advisory council, with parents, school officials and health professionals.

"By making these changes, you could thereby reduce the risk of your students developing type II diabetes, coronary artery disease, hypertension, high cholesterol and multiple other physical and psychological health ramifications," the letter states.

Obesity, Marks said, is the No. 1 health problem in children. Nearly one in three children is at risk of becoming overweight, and one in six is overweight, based on their body mass index. Soft drinks have contributed to the fattening of America, pediatricians say: Consumption has increased by 300 percent in the past two decades, and serving sizes have increased from 6.5 ounces in the 1950s to 20-ounce bottles by the late 1990s.

Between 56 percent and 85 percent of children in school consume at least one soft drink daily, and one in five adolescent males drink four or more soft drinks every day.

Marks said a few pediatricians have been reluctant to sign the letter, because of the financial difficulties many schools are experiencing - woes that will only worsen if Measure 30 fails Tuesday. School districts rely on revenues from soda pop vending machines and contracts with bottlers to pay for scoreboards, bleachers, computers and other programs.

But Marks said pediatricians' health advice can't be influenced by schools' financial difficulties.

"It's our job to protect kids and do what's best for their long-term health," he said.

Local school board members say they're willing to revisit the issue of soda pop in schools, but some suggested pediatricians should be talking to parents.

"I think their efforts are great but it may be overstated to say it could be fixed at the school level," said Garry Weber, chairman of the Springfield school board.

Eugene school board member Mike Fox puts it more bluntly.

"If (students) haven't learned proper nutrition by the time they get to our high schools, then perhaps the question of why a child is drinking more Coke or Pepsi than he or she should ought to be directed to their parents," he said.

Eugene school board member Virginia Thompson said she agrees with pediatricians that students consume too much sugar. But she said it may be difficult for the district to break the soft drink habit.

"We're caught with machines and contracts," she said.

In 2001, the Eugene district signed eight-year contracts with Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola bottlers to place six machines apiece in each of the four high schools. The district keeps a 25 percent commission on all sales, which is expected to generate $750,000 over the life of the contracts. The district used $160,000 in up-front payments to buy 1,000-seat bleachers for artificial turf sports fields at each of the schools.

Thompson said board members recently asked the staff to analyze what it would cost to terminate those contracts early. They haven't heard back yet, but "breaking the contracts is going to be fairly costly to the district," she said.

Soft drink bottlers say they, too, support the pediatricians' goals, but they don't understand why doctors have singled out soft drinks. They say kids today are less active than they used to be, and many don't eat balanced diets.

"Throwing carbonated beverages out of a school doesn't solve childhood obesity," said Bob Phillips, a spokesman for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Oregon. "I don't think banning anything does."

"The bottom line is we're getting a disproportionate amount of the blame," said Andy Moore, a vice president with the local Pepsi-Cola bottler.

The Pepsi bottlers analyzed a 14-week selling cycle, from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, in the Eugene School District. They sold just over 1,000 cases to students in that time, and calculated that it broke down to 6.1 ounces per week per student. One in four drinks sold were noncarbonated. Coca-Cola sales figures were not available.

Many local high school students said they don't like the idea of soda-free schools and questioned what good it would do. At Springfield High School, McAdams, the freshman, said his soda habit hasn't harmed his health.

"I drink it all the time and I'm fine," he said.

Sophomore Melissa Hagen, who usually has one Pepsi or Sprite each day, said removing pop from schools won't solve childhood obesity.

"Taking pop away from us isn't going to make anyone less obese," she said. "It starts at home."

At Churchill High School in Eugene, sophomore Jeremy Bowman, who usually drinks a Coca-Cola at lunch, said many students need soda pop to stay alert in class.

"It's like a caffeine boost to help you wake up in the morning," said .

CAPTION(S):

Josh Bernal, 14, quenches his thirst with a soda during lunch at Springfield High School. Many school districts rely on revenues from soda pop sales.