The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

A study of the association between children's access to drinking water in primary schools and their fluid intake: can water be 'cool' in school?

A study of the association between children's access to drinking water in primary schools and their fluid intake: can water be 'cool' in school?
A study of the association between children's access to drinking water in primary schools and their fluid intake: can water be 'cool' in school?
Background Water is essential for health. The ‘Water is Cool in School’ campaign promoted improved drinking water access in UK schools. Implementation has been patchy, and impact has not been studied. The aim of this study is to determine whether fluid intake and frequency of toilet visits are associated with children’s access to drinking water in the classroom.
Methods A total of 145 schoolchildren in Year 2 (aged 6–7 years) and 153 in Year 5 (aged 9–10 years) classes were studied in six Southampton schools. Total fluid intake and toilet visits were recorded during one school day. Schools were recruited according to drinking policy: ‘prohibited access’ = water prohibited in classroom; ‘limited access’ = water allowed in classroom but not on the desk; and ‘free access’ = water bottle encouraged on the desk. Data were analysed on an intention-to-treat basis.
Results In total, 120 children in prohibited access, 91 in limited access and 87 in free access settings were recruited. Total fluid intake was significantly higher in Year 2 free access schools (geometric mean 293, range 104–953 mL) compared with prohibited access schools (geometric mean 189, range 0–735 mL, P = 0.046), in Year 5 free access schools (geometric mean 489, range 88–1200 mL) compared with prohibited access schools (geometric mean 206, range 0–953 mL, P = 0.001), and in free access versus limited access schools (geometric mean 219, range 0–812 mL, P = 0.003). A total of 81% and 80% of children in prohibited and limited access schools, respectively, consumed below the minimum recommended amount of total fluid at school, compared with 46.5% in the free access schools. In total, 34.6% of children did not use the toilets at all during the school day. There was no trend observed between water access and frequency of toilet visits (median of 1 trip for each group, P = 0.605).
Conclusion Most children have an inadequate fluid intake in school. Free access to drinking water in class is associated with improved total fluid intake. Primary schools should promote water drinking in class.
0305-1862
409-415
Kaushik, A.
7eb7c965-a446-4c99-9fd4-5954d841fd2a
Mullee, M.A.
fd3f91c3-5e95-4f56-8d73-260824eeb362
Bryant, T.N.
ef0188d5-2df5-432d-b5be-a3bc2a6123b2
Hill, C.M.
867cd0a0-dabc-4152-b4bf-8e9fbc0edf8d
Kaushik, A.
7eb7c965-a446-4c99-9fd4-5954d841fd2a
Mullee, M.A.
fd3f91c3-5e95-4f56-8d73-260824eeb362
Bryant, T.N.
ef0188d5-2df5-432d-b5be-a3bc2a6123b2
Hill, C.M.
867cd0a0-dabc-4152-b4bf-8e9fbc0edf8d

Kaushik, A., Mullee, M.A., Bryant, T.N. and Hill, C.M. (2007) A study of the association between children's access to drinking water in primary schools and their fluid intake: can water be 'cool' in school? Child: Care, Health & Development, 33 (4), 409-415. (doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2006.00721.x).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background Water is essential for health. The ‘Water is Cool in School’ campaign promoted improved drinking water access in UK schools. Implementation has been patchy, and impact has not been studied. The aim of this study is to determine whether fluid intake and frequency of toilet visits are associated with children’s access to drinking water in the classroom.
Methods A total of 145 schoolchildren in Year 2 (aged 6–7 years) and 153 in Year 5 (aged 9–10 years) classes were studied in six Southampton schools. Total fluid intake and toilet visits were recorded during one school day. Schools were recruited according to drinking policy: ‘prohibited access’ = water prohibited in classroom; ‘limited access’ = water allowed in classroom but not on the desk; and ‘free access’ = water bottle encouraged on the desk. Data were analysed on an intention-to-treat basis.
Results In total, 120 children in prohibited access, 91 in limited access and 87 in free access settings were recruited. Total fluid intake was significantly higher in Year 2 free access schools (geometric mean 293, range 104–953 mL) compared with prohibited access schools (geometric mean 189, range 0–735 mL, P = 0.046), in Year 5 free access schools (geometric mean 489, range 88–1200 mL) compared with prohibited access schools (geometric mean 206, range 0–953 mL, P = 0.001), and in free access versus limited access schools (geometric mean 219, range 0–812 mL, P = 0.003). A total of 81% and 80% of children in prohibited and limited access schools, respectively, consumed below the minimum recommended amount of total fluid at school, compared with 46.5% in the free access schools. In total, 34.6% of children did not use the toilets at all during the school day. There was no trend observed between water access and frequency of toilet visits (median of 1 trip for each group, P = 0.605).
Conclusion Most children have an inadequate fluid intake in school. Free access to drinking water in class is associated with improved total fluid intake. Primary schools should promote water drinking in class.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: July 2007
Organisations: Clinical Neurosciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 48487
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/48487
ISSN: 0305-1862
PURE UUID: 6b2ae8b0-6727-4f75-9952-f4b90650a990
ORCID for C.M. Hill: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2372-5904

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 26 Sep 2007
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:04

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: A. Kaushik
Author: M.A. Mullee
Author: T.N. Bryant
Author: C.M. Hill ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×