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A study of about 3000 children in 32 schools in Germany found that installing water fountains, giving the children refillable water bottles, and using teaching lessons promoting the health benefits of water consumption reduced the risk of being overweight by 31%.
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The one year study, published in Pediatrics, weighed 2nd and 3rd graders in socially deprived areas and interviewed them about their water consumption. In schools in the intervention group, water fountains were added and four lessons were presented to the kids about the health benefits of water consumption. Water flow from the fountains was also measured.
Before the study period, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in the prevalence of overweight kids. At the end of the year, after adjusting for the baseline prevalence of being overweight, the authors found a 31% decrease in the risk of obesity in the intervention group.
After the study, researchers found that water consumption in the intervention group had increased by over 7 ounces per child per school day, and the fountains were in steady use throughout the year. No mention was made about food consumption during the period, although no effect was found on soft drink and juice consumption in the intervention group.
While not a magic bullet for keeping kids in a healthy weight range, the study was a positive example of how small changes in daily routine can have a lasting impact on children’s health.
Image: respres at Flickr under Creative Commons
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I saw this study and wrote about it on my blog this week. I think this is a neat idea, although it is not clear to me if 31% reduction in the so called “risk of obesity” is a big deal. There was no change in BMI and it did not affect the fruit juice consumption.
‘the authors found a 31% decrease in the risk of obesity in the intervention group’
How in the world do you evaluate this risk – seems to me you are either fat or you are not.
One common practice in Europe is to give a contract to an out of work friend to do a study and then feed him the data necessary to support the conclusion you want.
Sounds like one of those.
Russ -
This info comes from a peer reviewed paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, so I don’t see that it falls in the category of “give a contract to an out of work friend to do a study and then feed him the data necessary to support the conclusion you want”.
In the US many schools rely on donations from the big soft drink companies in exchange for soda machine placement, brand exclusivity, and favorable school rules.
One teacher recently explained how their school had a no drink in the classroom policy until the soft drink rep complained. The principle sent out a memo to not bother any student drinking soft drinks in the classroom.
Interesting, it certainly is a better idea to drink too much water than too much sugar drinks. That goes for both children and adults.
“over 7 ounces”
In the article could you please also specify measurements in metric units, it would make it much clearer for me and countless of other people reading this article. TIA.
Yeah, is it possible to get “overweight” from water intake? My gut tells me, “no”.
Soft drinks, on the other hand… /sips his coke
Wow! This post just knocked my socks off! I just never thought about the impact that water fountains or the lack there of can have on children in schools. Really valuable lesson and idea to spread.
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Wow! This post just knocked my socks off! I just never thought about the impact that water fountains or the lack there of can have
Great Article! So many people (unfortunately they have kids) don’t know that dehydrated children’s bodies are very acidic. In this state they gain much weight as toxins are stored in fat cells, and they become ill. Proper alkaline hydration is the key. I am grateful for all the efforts to provide safe drinking water to children at school, my only question is: What quality of water are they drinking at home?