Should soda be banned from schools?

Today, 15 percent of U.S. children ages 6-19 are overweight. Health experts say that there is more than a 50 percent chance that an overweight child will become obese (dangerously overweight) as an adult. How can these dangerous health trends be curbed?

Last month, an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) report recommended that soda and other sweetened soft drinks be banned from schools to help fight the nation's childhood obesity epidemic (health crisis). The AAP cites the high volume of sugar in those drinks as a leading cause of obesity.

But is this the right approach? According to the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA), a lack of physical activity and other factors, such as a person's race, age, and gender, are also responsible for the increase in overweight U.S. kids.

What do you think? Should soda be banned from schools?

(YES) "There's absolutely nothing in sodas that is good for you," says Dr. Barbara Frankowski, one of the authors of the AAP report. "We have evidence that drinking sweetened soft drinks will lead to an increased risk of obesity."

The AAP states that 56 to 85 percent of U.S. schoolchildren drink at least one soda or other soft drink daily. Each 12-ounce serving of sweetened soda contains 150 calories and as much as 10 teaspoons of sugar. Such consumption, the group says, leads to a 60 percent increase in the risk of obesity.

(NO) "Childhood obesity is a complex issue," says Kathleen Dezio, a NSDA spokeswoman. "Healthy diets and the consumption of soft drinks should be addressed by children, families, and educators. Banning soft drinks alone does not solve the problem of childhood obesity."

Rebecca Todak, 13, of St. Rose Catholic School in Perrysburg, Ohio, agrees. "I think soft drinks should be allowed in schools," she told JS. "I think if parents want to ban soft drinks at home, that's fine. But kids should be able to have soft drinks at school if they want to."