To develop healthy eating habits in students it is necessary to keep junk foods out of site by banning them in and around campus. This method was found effective based on a study conducted by Cardiff University.

For the study 43 schools located in South west England and South Wales were selected. The eating habits of the students from those schools were then examined. 23 schools for a period of one year were asked to avoid putting up junk foods in and around its campus. Instead of junk foods the schools were asked to setup fruit tuck shops. The other schools were asked to maintain their existing policies, where by the students were free to bring food or selected food to school and students also had an option to eat fruits from the fruit tuck shops.

The results were analyzed for a period of one year and it was found that the fruit tuck shops sold 70,000 fruit pieces.

The highlight of the results were

* Presence of a fruit tuck shop along did not have much impact.
* Schools that allowed students to bring food or selected food had little impact.
* Schools that completely banned students from bringing food from home, or bringing only fruits had a much greater impact.

With little option left and no junk foods allowed students preferred eating fruits.

Though the study does suggests that students eating habits can be changed by implementing healthy policies by schools, but NAHT (National Association of Head Teachers) are not in favor of this study as its not right to impose policies on students.

Article from this site.