Making it easier for elementary kids to drink more water at school
Advancing Water Security: A Community Participatory School-Based Hydration Intervention
This program works with schools and families to make clean drinking water more available and appealing for elementary students so they drink fewer sugary drinks and feel better in school.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Commonwealth University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Richmond, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11159460 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Parents and school staff help design a multi-part program that improves access to water bottle refill stations, provides drinking vessels, and strengthens school hydration policies. The program is being rolled out in phases across 12 Title I elementary schools in an urban Virginia district using a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized approach so every school eventually gets the intervention. Researchers will track students' water and sugary drink use, basic health outcomes like weight and dental caries, and school-related outcomes such as concentration and classroom performance. Community input guides how the program fits each school and addresses local barriers to drinking water.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are elementary school children (around 3rd grade) who attend the selected Title I schools in the partnering urban Virginia district.
Not a fit: Children who do not attend the participating schools or who have medical limits on fluid intake are unlikely to benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, children may drink more water, consume fewer sugary beverages, and see improvements in oral health, weight, and school functioning.
How similar studies have performed: Previous school-based water and beverage programs have sometimes increased water intake and reduced sugary drink use, but results have been mixed, so this community-driven phased trial builds on promising prior work.
Where this research is happening
Richmond, United States
- Virginia Commonwealth University — Richmond, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bean, Melanie K — Virginia Commonwealth University
- Study coordinator: Bean, Melanie K
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.