Children who ate fast food did poorer on tests, according to a recent study. They found a 16% drop in both English and math when children at fast food regularly.
They found just over half of pupils had eaten at fast food restaurants such as McDonald's up to three times in the last week. One in 10 had eaten fast food between four and six times and two per cent visited restaurants four or more times daily.
In total, children scored between 58 and 181 points in the reading tests, gaining an average score of 141.5. But after taking other factors into account, pupils who ate fast food between four and six times a week scored almost seven points below average. Children snacking once a day fell 16 points, while pupils indulging three times a day dropped by 19 points.
Similar trends were noted in maths. In total, children scored between 47 and 151 points in the test, with average results of 115. But those pupils eating fast food dropped by between 6.5 and 18.5 points.
Given this jaw-dropping news, why would ANY educator in their right mind serve fast food as school lunch? |
Money. It all comes down to money.
Those choices [brand name fast food] don't exactly encourage healthy eating habits, as they reinforce children's taste for fast food. But even in the face of an obesity epidemic, cafeteria directors say they need the brand-name meals to keep their programs running.
"This community is very brand-conscious," said Frank Castro, who runs the lunch program [that serves McDonalds burgers] in the Pleasanton Unified School District. "I could offer the same hamburger or a better quality burger, but it wouldn't increase my lunch count."
Why do they do this? Budgetary pressures. Schools get some of their lunch money from Uncle Sam in the form of the National School Lunch Program. While the federal money covers the cost of lunches for children from low income families, it doesn't pay for all of the labor and facilities costs. To do that, schools rely on selling food to kids. And to do THAT, they have to sell foods the kids will actually buy. Often, that means brand name fast food.
Children are targeted with billions of dollars in food advertising and marketing each year - so much so that by preschool age, they think food tastes better if it's in a McDonald's wrapper. We need to do something about this situation on so many levels - restricting advertising of junk to children, setting higher standards on what can be served in schools, and actually funding our schools so they are not forced to serve children food that is proven to make them less able to learn in the classroom. |
