Providing water dispensers with cups in school cafeterias and promoting their use led to nearly a 20 percent increase in the number of California students who drank water at lunchtime compared with school cafeterias with only traditional drinking fountains, according to a report from the University of California, San Francisco.
In 2013, 12 low-income middle schools in the San Francisco Bay area participated in a study in which they received six weeks of promotional activities, received cups during lunchtime, and were assigned to get water from either water dispensers or bottleless water coolers in the cafeteria.
Students were significantly more likely to drink water in schools with promotion plus water dispensers and cups than in schools with traditional drinking fountains and no cups or promotion.
The researchers note that most U.S. schools meet the requirement for water in cafeterias through traditional drinking fountains, and that although school administrators can provide more appealing water sources, they may worry about the cost of doing so. This study suggests that providing water in small dispensers with cups may be a feasible, low-cost option for schools until they secure funds for a more sustainable water-bottle filling station.
In this study, schools were able to absorb nearly 70 percent of the cost of providing the dispensers by using pre-existing refrigerators to chill water dispensers and by having existing food service staff fill and clean dispensers.
"Offering more appealing water sources and providing cups in school cafeterias can increase students' intake of water at lunchtime," the researchers suggest.
Article: