Start Date: November 2016

ID #: 74133

Principal Investigator: Anisha Patel, MD, MSPH, MSHS

Co-Principal Investigator: Marc Andrew Edwards, PhD, MS

Organization: University of California, San Francisco

Funding Round: Round 10

See more related research

Share


Drinking water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages is an important obesity prevention strategy. Although schools have taken great strides to improve drinking water access, the water crisis in Flint, Mich., and its aftermath have highlighted the importance of assuring that the water provided in schools is safe to drink. This study will partner with national experts in drinking water quality testing to conduct the first large-scale, representative, cross-sectional study of drinking water quality in schools. The study will leverage a sample of 240 randomly selected California schools that are participating in an ongoing Healthy Eating Research-funded study to evaluate the proportion of schools with drinking water quality violations. The aims of the current study are to: 1) assess the quality of drinking water (by testing for the key contaminants lead, copper, arsenic, nitrate, hexavalent chromium) in food service areas (FSAs) in a representative sample of 240 California public schools; 2) examine school characteristics associated with water quality violations in FSA water sources in California public schools; and 3) understand if school administrators’ report of water quality testing is associated with water quality violations in FSAs.

Related Research

July 2020

Stories of Success: A Qualitative Examination of Contributors to Excellence in School Drinking Water Access

Drinking water instead of beverages with added sugar can help prevent obesity and cavities and promote overall health. Children spend much of their day in school, where they have variable access to drinking water. In 2010, federal and state law required California public schools to provide free potable water to students in areas where meals More

February 2025

More States and Sponsors Are Providing Grab-and-Go Meals to Children during Summer

In 2023, to respond to increased rates of child food insecurity during the summer Congress authorized states to opt in to allowing noncongregate, or “grab-and-go,” summer meal services for students in rural areas. In the summer of 2023, 46 states and DC opted in, and in the summer of 2024 all 50 states and DC More

January 2025

The relationship between fruit drink front-of-package claims, fruit imagery, and ingredient disclosures and consumer perceptions, intentions, and behavior: A systematic review

Fruit drinks are the top sources of added sugar in young children’s diets, increasing their risk of chronic disease. It is unclear to what extent front-of-package (FOP) marketing and disclosures influence parents’ perceptions of fruit drinks and their intentions and decisions to purchase them. These data are needed to inform regulatory and legal action to More