November 24, 2014 – Info and Choice

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Anchor lead: When kids are educated about nutrition choices, does it help? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Simply providing signage in corner grocery stores where kids shop may help inform their buying choices, a Johns Hopkins study led by Sara Bleich has found.  Bleich describes the information provided in this study.

Bleich: We either told them that a 20 ounce bottle of soda has 250 calories, that that 20 ounce bottle of soda was equivalent to 16 teaspoons of sugar, 50 minutes of running or five miles of walking. And so a kid walks into a store and there’s an 8.5x11 sign with this piece of information and they go to make a beverage choice.   :18

Turns out that even though many reported they didn’t even see the signage, most made better choices based on one specific type of information.

Bleich: The punch line is if you tell kids they have to walk five miles they drink fewer sugary beverages, they buy fewer calories, they buy fewer large volume sugary beverages, bigger than sixteen ounces, and in some cases they choose not to buy anything at all.   :12

Bleich would like to expand this study to see if some impact on childhood obesity is seen over time.  At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.