Kids run to school vending machines for a cheap, packaged meal. This de facto lunch contributes to poor health, according to many studies.

Vending machine items are not the catalyst for all health problems. But researchers at the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that vending machine treats matter.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of diabetes was at least 50 percent higher in 2005 than in 1994 in 27 states, one of which was West Virginia. The cause is sedentary living coupled with sweeter and higher-calorie foods.

About 43 percent of elementary schools and nearly all high schools have vending machines that sell "soda, sugary drinks, candy, and chips to hungry kids" Newsweek magazine said.

Children nosh at home, but what they eat at school matters. Researchers found sugar-sweetened drink consumption increased as high as 70 percent among students who bought food from vending machines at school, compared to students who did not.

Vending machine items are not the catalyst for all health problems. But researchers at the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that vending machine treats matter.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of diabetes was at least 50 percent higher in 2005 than in 1994 in 27 states, one of which was West Virginia. The cause is sedentary living coupled with sweeter and higher-calorie foods.

About 43 percent of elementary schools and nearly all high schools have vending machines that sell "soda, sugary drinks, candy, and chips to hungry kids" Newsweek magazine said.

Children nosh at home, but what they eat at school matters. Researchers found sugar-sweetened drink consumption increased as high as 70 percent among students who bought food from vending machines at school, compared to students who did not.