By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

(HealthDay News) -- Although students who get free or discounted lunches through federal programs are more likely to be obese than students who don't, kids in states that set higher standards for these meals are less likely to suffer that fate, new research finds.

"Students who participate in the school lunch program tend to be more obese in general, not because of the program itself but because they usually come from lower-income households where obesity is more of a problem," explained study author Daniel Taber, a research scientist with the Health Policy Center of the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- Former Auburn coach Gene Chizik issued a lengthy statement Thursday in response to a recent report claiming Auburn committed multiple NCAA violations during his term as head coach.

In his two-page statement, Chizik says the report by former Sports Illustrated and New York Times writer Selena Roberts is "long on accusation and inference, but short on facts and logic."

He also points to the "noteworthy" timing of the publication, saying it comes "just days" before Mike McNeil, one of the players most prominently featured in the article, goes to trial for armed robbery.