Our Children Must Have Plenty of Clean Water at School
As the parent of a newborn and a 4-year-old, I want to believe that my daughters will have healthy environments at home and at school. But as a pediatrician and a researcher for the University of California, San Francisco, I know that many U.S. children may face unhealthy nutrition environments in child-care facilities and schools, and may even lack an essential nutrient that most of us take for granted – water that is safe to drink.
Studies suggest that children do not drink enough plain water and instead drink sugar-sweetened beverages that can lead to serious and costly health issues including obesity, tooth decay, and even decreased cognitive function.
As a parent I can take steps to make sure my daughters get enough clean water to drink at home. But when they enter child care and kindergarten, will I and millions of other parents across the United States know if they are getting enough free clean water to drink in these out-of-home settings?
In a paper just published in the American Journal of Public Health, my colleague Karla Hampton, J.D., an