Secondary schools in Hawai'i were cited in a new national report as leaders in cutting back on sales of junk foods and beverages, such as candy and soda.

The report, "Availability of Less Nutritious Snack Foods and Beverages in Secondary Schools," was published today in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Data were collected from 40 states from 2002 to 2008.

Last year, the report says, 88.2 percent of students in Hawai'i secondary schools could not buy candy or salty snacks from vending machines or at a school store or snack bar.

Maine had the second-highest percentage (82.0) and Connecticut the third (80.4).

By comparison, only 18.2 percent of secondary school students in Utah could not buy candy or salty snacks at school.

In Hawai'i, Dave Randall, education specialist for health and physical education for the state Department of Education, attributed the high percentage of schools not offering junk food to the state's stringent wellness policy, which was developed according to nutrition guidelines from the Institute of Medicine. A 2004 federal law required school districts to implement a wellness policy, but gave wide latitude in how strict the guidelines should be, Randall said.

"As a department, we wanted to aim high," Randall said. "The group that was brought together to put together the wellness guidelines wanted to do what was best for kids."

Schools are in a four-year process of implementing the guidelines, which also include requirements for physical education and school lunches. The guidelines are expected to be fully implemented by 2011.

The report shows that among the 34 states that collected data in 2006 and 2008, the median percentage of secondary schools that did not sell soda or fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice increased from 38 percent to 63 percent.

The percentage among Hawai'i schools was 82.4. Hawai'i bans caffeinated beverages, sodas and other sugary drinks. Secondary campuses can sell sports drinks, but only after school to student athletes participating in sport programs involving vigorous activity of more than one hour.