WATCH: Are your children drinking enough water? A study out of Harvard University finds more than half of children between the ages of six and 19 are not. Julia Wong reports.
HALIFAX – Research out of one of the most prestigious universities in the world shows that more than half of children are not properly hydrated.
Simone Trim-MacDonald is an active nine-year-old who dances and surfs. She should take care to drink enough water throughout the day, but she admits she doesn’t.
“I do drink a lot of water. I’m not sure I’m drinking enough though,” she said.
The nine-year-old isn’t alone. Researchers at Harvard University studied 4,134 children and found 54.5 per cent of them were inadequately hydrated. The results show boys were more likely than girls to be dehydrated. Children aged six to 11 years old were also more likely to be dehydrated than those 12 to 19 years old.
Simone’s father Don said he knows his daughter doesn’t drink enough fluids.
“We put a big bottle of water in her lunch every day. The bottle comes home and it’s not always empty,” he said, with a knowing glance towards his daughter.
As for the reason why, Simone said it’s often because she forgets her water bottle.
Findings worry local pediatrician
IWK Pediatrician Tara Chobotuk said the results of the American study are likely a reality in Canada as well.
“In general, I think kids are busy and on the go. Sometimes they might not be recognizing their cues for thirst or taking a break to actually drink some fluid. I think also they’re probably not gravitating towards water quite as much because some of the sugar sweetened beverages have fun packaging,” she said.
She stresses the importance of drinking water throughout the day.
“Maybe parents aren’t pushing the issue as much because maybe they don’t realize how important it is for kids to stay well hydrated.”
She said that the recommended amount varies depending on the child’s age and size but said, generally speaking, young people should drink between one and a half litres and two litres every day.
Chobotuk said the consequences of not drinking enough are more than just dehydration.
“Not being hydrated enough can lead to headaches. It can lead to constipation. They might not be thinking as well as they normally would or performing as physically well as they would normally be,” she said.
Weather getting warmer
Gary O’Toole, the director of environmental health for the Department of Health and Wellness, said water consumption is even more critical as temperatures rise.
“The impact of lack of water in your system, particularly when it’s hot and humidity is high, is the potential for heat-related illnesses,” he said.
“It’s normally associated with symptoms such as muscles spasms, heat stress, heat exhaustion. There’s the potential for muscle cramps, nausea, general feeling of malaise or feeling tired to fainting,” he said.
O’Toole suggests young people get into the habit of drinking as much water as they can.
“Try and build that into your routine so that it’s not something special that you do when there’s a high temperature or humidity alert,” he said.
Drinking more water
Iain Grundke, 17, spent part of Wednesday practicing tricks on his bike at the Halifax Skate Park.
The teen brought a water bottle with him but said he quickly ran out of fluids to re-hydrate himself. He adds that he can see the immediate effects.
“I’ll be more tired. I’ll run out of energy quicker. I won’t be as motivated to do stuff,” he said.
But he was quick to say he will try to carry more water with him in the future.
“Over the summer, I’ll probably start carrying a little more water with me to keep myself hydrated through the day.”
Some parents said they go through pains to ensure their children stay hydrated.
“She takes a water bottle to school every day and usually she refills at school at least once. When she gets home from school, she does another water bottle throughout the day,” said Heather Kennedy about her nine-year-old daughter Zahlee.
Simone’s father Don said he and his wife speak with their daughter whenever they find a full water bottle in her backpack, but hopefully that becomes less of a reality.
Before she ran off to the playground, the nine-year-old said she will try harder from now on to drink enough water throughout the day.
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