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Home > Promising Practices > Availability and Consumption of Drinking Water in Middle Schools: A Pilot Study

Availability and Consumption of Drinking Water in Middle Schools: A Pilot Study

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

In 2008, researchers conducted a 5-week pilot program to increase the quality and availability of drinking water in a middle school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Upon initiation of the pilot project, all students and staff at the middle school received reusable water bottles and were instructed to use them only for water. Throughout the intervention period, cafeteria staff filled 5-gallon dispensers with filtered tap water, refrigerated them, and placed them in the cafeteria courtyard during mealtimes. The program also sponsored educational activities to teach students about the nutritional benefits of drinking water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages, in addition to promotional activities to encourage students to drink tap water.

Goal / Mission

To improve drinking water consumption among adolescents.

Impact

This study shows that provision of filtered, chilled drinking water in school cafeterias coupled with promotion and education is associated with increased consumption of drinking water at school.

Results / Accomplishments

Researchers surveyed 7th graders at the intervention school and 7th graders at a comparable school to assess beverage intake at school prior to the intervention, one week after the intervention, and two months after the intervention. Results from the pre-intervention survey and the two-month-post-intervention survey revealed that, relative to their peers at the comparison school, students at the intervention school were significantly more likely to drink water during the school day (p=0.003), drink from the school water fountain (p=0.02), and use reusable water bottles (p=0.005). The intervention did not significantly impact intake of other beverages.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Los Angeles Unified School District
Primary Contact
Anisha I. Patel, MD, MSPH, MSHS
Department of Pediatrics
University of California at San Francisco
3333 California St, Ste 245, Mailbox 0503
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-476-9189
PatelA@peds.ucsf.edu
Topics
Health / Physical Activity
Health / Adolescent Health
Organization(s)
Los Angeles Unified School District
Source
CDC: Preventing Chronic Disease
Date of publication
May 2011
Date of implementation
2008
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
Los Angeles
For more details
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2011/may/10_0105.htm
Target Audience
Children, Teens

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Related Content for: Availability and Consumption of Drinking Water in Middle Schools: A Pilot Study

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.