Department of Pediatrics and Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2010 Mar;7(2):A39. Epub 2010 Feb 15.
Concerns about the influence of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption on obesity have led experts to recommend that water be freely available in schools. We explored perceptions about the adequacy of drinking water provision in a large California school district to develop policies and programs to encourage student water consumption.
From March to September 2007, we used semistructured interviews to ask 26 California key stakeholders - including school administrators and staff, health and nutrition agency representatives, and families - about school drinking water accessibility; attitudes about, facilitators of, and barriers to drinking water provision; and ideas for increasing water consumption. Interviews were analyzed to determine common themes.
Although stakeholders said that water was available from school drinking fountains, they expressed concerns about the appeal, taste, appearance, and safety of fountain water and worried about the affordability and environmental effect of bottled water sold in schools. Stakeholders supported efforts to improve free drinking water availability in schools, but perceived barriers (eg, cost) and mistaken beliefs that regulations and beverage contracts prohibit serving free water may prevent schools from doing so. Some schools provide water through cold-filtered water dispensers and self-serve water coolers.
This is the first study to explore stakeholder perceptions about the adequacy of drinking water in US schools. Although limited in scope, our study suggests that water available in at least some schools may be inadequate. Collaborative efforts among schools, communities, and policy makers are needed to improve school drinking water provision.
由于担心饮用含糖饮料会导致肥胖，专家建议学校应免费提供水。为了制定鼓励学生饮水的政策和计划，我们研究了加利福尼亚州一个大型学区饮用水供应的充足程度。
2007 年 3 月至 9 月，我们采用半结构式访谈，向 26 名加利福尼亚州的利益相关者（包括学校管理人员和工作人员、卫生和营养机构代表以及家庭）询问了学校饮用水的可及性；对饮用水供应的看法、促进因素和障碍；以及增加水消耗的想法。对访谈进行了分析，以确定共同的主题。
尽管利益相关者表示学校的饮水机提供了水，但他们对饮水机的吸引力、口感、外观和安全性表示担忧，并担心学校出售的瓶装水的价格和环境影响。利益相关者支持改善学校免费饮用水供应的努力，但他们认为存在障碍（例如成本），并且错误地认为法规和饮料合同禁止提供免费水，这可能会阻止学校这样做。一些学校通过冷过滤饮水机和自助饮水机提供水。
这是第一项探讨美国学校饮用水充足程度的利益相关者看法的研究。尽管范围有限，但我们的研究表明，至少一些学校提供的水可能不足。需要学校、社区和政策制定者之间的合作努力来改善学校的饮用水供应。
