Unit 1: Water and health
In this Unit you will learn:
- why water is the best drink for the children, absolutely necessary for physical health,
- how water helps with the reduction of obesity,
- how it helps with the reduction of caries.
Introduction to the topic:
A lot of children in Europe are overweight or obese. The interesting fact is, that this issue is closely connected not only with diet but especially with soft drinks, which can lead to caries as well.
Take a look at some statistic facts:
- 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 solution is very simple: a lot of these issues can be literally flushed away with tap water.
