Children’s Water Intake Lower During In-Person School Compared To Virtual School During COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Children’s hydration is often inadequate during school potentially causing detrimental effects on cognitive performance. Previous studies investigating water intake during school lack comparison to a control group. The rise of virtual school during the COVID-19 pandemic created a unique opportunity to assess water intake during school but in a setting outside of school. Objective: Compare water intake of children attending in-person classrooms to water intake of children attending school virtually. We hypothesized water intake would be higher in children attending school virtually. Methods: : A validated water intake questionnaire was sent to parents and their children (aged 10-17 years) between September 2020 and March 2021. The questionnaire asked participants how often they consumed a standardized volume of beverage types over one week. Parents indicated if children were attending school in-person or virtually. Results: : 54 children indicated they were attending school in-person while 76 indicated attending school virtually (N = 130). Water intake of children attending in-person school (1688 ± 680 mL) was lower as compared to children attending school virtually (1998 ± 831 mL) (F = 5.09, p < 0.05, Figure 1). The multivariate regression examining demographics, parent water intake, and school setting as predictors of child water intake was significant (R 2 = 0.33, p < 0.05). Higher child water intake was associated with older age (b = 0.29, p < 0.05), lower family income (b = -0.25, p < 0.05), higher parent water intake (b = 0.39, p < 0.05), and virtual school setting (b = 0.18, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Children’s water intake was higher during virtual school as compared to in-person school. Hydration of parents may influence children, especially when the child is attending school virtually.