The effect of an intervention to improve water consumption on pupils, parents and teachers

Abstract

Background: Good hydration is necessary for good health; adequate water consumption in childhood and has been shown to reduce risk of obesity, promote oral health, improve concentration and memory and help to establish healthy drinking practices for life (Poskitt & Edmunds, 2008; Water is Cool in School, 2008). The ‘Water in Schools’ campaign was designed to improve water intake in primary schools in The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea following an expressed need from schools. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the campaign on pupils’ water consumption; access to water at school, and staff and pupil knowledge about the health benefits of drinking water. In addition, a large amount of qualitative data was collected, giving further insight into the impact of the campaign on staff, pupils and parents. Methods: A parent survey was conducted in the playground; they were asked to comment on any changes they saw in pupils as a result of the campaign, tallying the number of parents who felt their child had been drinking more during the campaign. Teaching staff were also asked to comments. Pupils’ comments were recorded by the teaching staff recorded comments from pupils about what they thought of the campaign. The comments were collated and then analysed thematically and individual themes were analysed for patterns. Results: The pupils’ comments covered the themes of the availability of free water,what they had learnt about water and health, and how drinking more water made them feel: ‘I feel healthier because I’ve drunk more water and not fizzy drinks at school or home’. ‘I drank more water because I want to keep my brain going’. ‘Our new bottles are cool and we take it in turns to be the water monitor and fill them up each day’. The main theme to emerge from parents’ comments focused on the increse in water consumption observed at home: ‘[I’ve] seen a change … [my children are] more proactive about drinking water. I don't have to nag!’‘I have seen a positive effect in [my children's] learning and willing to do homework’. The main theme to emerge from analysis of the teachers’ comments was a change in behaviour: ‘Children loved it, drank far more and paid more attention in class’. ‘Watching children voluntarily drinking water on a regular basis has been amazing!’ Discussion: Pupil, parent and staff comments showed a great deal of agreement with regards to the positive impact the campaign had, on pupils in particular. Furthermore, the reported positive behaviour of pupils outside of school and the subsequent impact on their families has shown a level of participant involvement seldom expected from this type of intervention. These findings build on a related study by Johnston Molloy et al. (2008), which highlighted the perceived barriers to water consumption in the classroom as well as the need for more health promotion interventions related to water. This study has shown that these barriers can be overcome and the overall positive impact of such a campaign. Conclusions: Although it is yet to be shown whether the many positive effects of Water in Schools will be maintained over the long term, this campaign demonstrates the benefits of empowering schools to deliver and sustain interventions themselves, persevering past initial problems with providing water in classrooms, and there has been demand from schools for the campaign to become an annual event.