The importance of good water intake in children cannot be overemphasised.

Often when dietary advice is given, it concentrates on food intake and neglects advice on the intake of healthy liquids. But acute dehydration can lead to a reduction in both mental and physical performance. And long-term chronic dehydration may cause health problems and illnesses in children.

Most kids drink less water than they should

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For this reason, parents and teachers should regularly encourage children to drink water at home and at school, especially after taking part in sports events. Even a small degree of dehydration can lead to a reduction of mental and physical performance.

Children need to drink more than adults and the smaller they are, the more they need to drink. A boy between the ages of 11 and 14 needs to drink 3,3 litres of water per day, and a girl of the same age needs 2,8 litres per day. Research shows that 65% of schoolchildren between the ages of five and 14 drink less water than they should.

Water plays a crucial role in bodily functions such as regulating body temperature, transporting nutrients and oxygen to the blood, removing waste and lubricating joints. It also protects organs and tissues. Once the body is dehydrated, the internal temperature rises and the body, particularly the brain, overheats. This process takes place much more quickly in children than in adults.

Children at greater risk of dehydration
Children are therefore at greater risk of dehydration. For this reason, they should always have unlimited access to water. A loss of 2% of body fluids causes a 20% reduction in performance in both physical and mental activities. Dehydration in excess of 3% may lead to heat stroke, a condition to which children are much more prone than adults.

Children's thirst mechanisms are less developed than those of adults and tend to appear only once dehydration is already present. They should therefore be encouraged to drink water even if they are not thirsty.

They should also learn to check their urine – the production of large amounts of pale urine indicates good hydration, while dark urine indicates a degree of dehydration.

(Source: WHO)

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