Waterschools - Summary

Summary

More than 20 percent of children and young people in the EU are either overweight or obese. These rates have increased significantly over the past decades.
The consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks is often associated with obesity in children. Almost 40 percent of the sugar consumed by young children, comes from drinking sugar-sweetened drinks.
Promotion and provision of drinking water in schools has shown to prevent overweight.
In Europe, 20 to 90 percent of 6-year-old children have dental fillings and at the age of 12, an average of 0.5–3.5 permanent teeth are affected by caries, as a result of dental decay.
The consumption of sugary drinks can lead to dental decay and the resulting fillings. This can be avoided by encouraging the consumption of drinks without sugar.
Drinking water in schools is key to preventing obesity and fillings.

Nearly half of schoolchildren do not meet their minimum hydration requirements.
Even mild dehydration can cause cognitive impairment, tiredness, and headaches; all of which impact negatively upon academic attainment.
Proper hydration is an important prerequisite for concentration and performance in school.
Drinking water promotes efficiency.

Promoting the protection and sustainable utilization of the water resources is an important goal for this project.
Every minute, a million plastic bottles are bought around the world and this number will jump another 20 percent by 2021.
Plastic bottles are one of the most commonly discarded plastic items found on European beaches.
Schools that are free of single-use plastic bottles play an important role in helping to implement the EU Plastics Strategy.
Effective education raises awareness of the importance of water and environmental protection.
Drinking tap water reduces bottled waste

To promote drinking water at school contributes to a schools’ development as health aware and health and sustainable promoting school.

Drinking water in schools is the key to preventing obesity and fillings.
Drinking water promotes efficiency: cognitive capacity and physical performance.
Drinking enough water helps against tiredness and headaches
Effective education raises awareness of the importance of water and environmental protection.
Drinking tap water reduces bottled waste