About 20 percent more students drink water in school or child-care settings if you serve it to them cold and in cups. That’s the conclusion of a study from researchers at University of California-San Francisco. Reporter Rebecca Havely has more…
A new study offers a simple solution for getting kids to drink more water in schools or child-care settings: make it more convenient. Researchers from UCSF studied 12 middle schools, in which some had cold water pitchers, some a cold water dispenser, complete with cups. The rest just had their normal drinking fountains. The findings? Twenty percent more kids drank water in schools that served it cold, with cups. Dr. Anisha Patel from UCSF says it’s an important finding, since most children don’t drink enough water.
“Hydration status is associated with how students perform in school, their cognitive functioning. It has no calories, no added sugar; it’s healthy.”
Patel says a recent federal law requires all school cafeterias to offer water free of charge. In addition, many schools in California are now opting to install “filling stations” for reusable water bottles.
GETTING KIDS TO DRINK MORE WATER
