U.S. doctors adopt measures to increase kids’ water intake, after a recent study suggests that children are dehydrated most of the times. The recent study was conducted mainly because physicians noticed that U.S. kids and teenagers fail to drink as much water as they should at their age.
The research was carried out by a group of medical experts currently working on various projects within the facilities of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. They have recently developed an interest in the matter after statistics showed that children aged between 6 and 19 do not drink as much water as they should.
Researchers gathered a study group of 4,100 children and handed them the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to determine their daily drinking habits. The experiment was observed on a three-year-period, namely between 2009 and 2012.
The information that was gathered with the help of the national questionnaire has been complemented by additional data collected through other means of investigations. Given the small age of the respondents, medical experts have concluded that the best way to observe children’s condition is to perform regular medical tests on them.
Researchers at Harvard were thus able to see that one third of the U.S. children is dehydrated as a result of the small water intake per day. Urine samples have shown that children and teenagers could develop kidney problems on the long run as the toxin levels were rather high in all cases.
By comparing the urine samples of dehydrated children to the ones of hydrated kids, researchers noticed that teens, who drink less water have a darker urine. In addition, urine osmolality tests have shown that the urine level was too high, considering the premature age of the children.
Figures indicate that 22 percent of the U.S. children with ages between 6 and 19 years old do not drink water at all. They either replace it with sugar-based liquids and sodas or obtain their daily liquid intake from watery fruits such as melon, watermelon, apples, etc.
The previous practices have been strongly contested by the medical commission conducting this research as they may lead to severe health problems on the long run. Moreover, kids are highly sensitive to sugar-based liquids and they often tend to become irritated or excessively active.
The study has also indicated that the dehydration takes different values across genders, as well. Boys tend to drink less water than girls and they are also the most affected by level shifts in urine composition.
Medical experts have now indited a list of possible measures that may be adopted in order to prevent children from getting dehydrated again in the future. They recommend parents to provide kids 1.7-3.3 liters of water per day, depending on their age, gender and body mass.
Image Source: CBS News
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