A new study shows that more than half of children and adolescents in the United States are not drinking enough water.
—Boys were 76% more likely to be dehydrated than girls, and non-Hispanic blacks were 34% more likely to be dehydrated than non-Hispanic whites.
“The good news is that this is a public health problem with a simple solution,” senior author Steven Gortmaker, professor of the practice of health sociology, said in a release. “If we can focus on helping children drink more water–a low-cost, no-calorie beverage–we can improve their hydration status, which may allow many children to feel better throughout the day and do better in school.”
The researchers looked at data from 2009-2012 from more than 4,000 children and adolescents ages 6 to 19, examining urine concentration to determine hydration. The data was from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an annual study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- The Revolution of Yulia Navalnaya
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- What's the Deal With the Bitcoin Halving?
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.Rogers@time.com