From Research to Policy Implementation: Improving Access to Drinking Water in Schools

Background

Reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is an effective obesity prevention strategy. Clean and accessible drinking water in schools offers children a good alternative to the unhealthy beverages that are widely available on campus.

As a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Clinical Scholar, Dr. Anisha Patel is researching barriers to water accessibility in schools. The National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (NPLAN) is funded by RWJF to provide legal technical assistance to the childhood obesity prevention movement and is collaborating with Dr. Patel to develop resources to help schools overcome these barriers.

Purpose

To identify legal issues implicated in the barriers to water accessibility and describe NPLAN resources that schools, parents, and advocates can use to help overcome barriers to providing palatable drinking water to students.

Significance

NPLAN's resources can be used to lift barriers to water accessibility in schools—thus promoting a healthy alternative to the sugar-sweetened beverages that are widely available on school campuses.

Methodology

To use the data from Dr. Patel's research to develop a legal and policy agenda for improving access to drinking water in schools.

Findings/Result

NPLAN's resources can help surmount several barriers identified by Dr. Patel, including the acceptance of restrictive contracts with beverage companies, the misinterpretation of nutritional standards set forth in government programs, and the neglect of existing sources of tap water.

Conclusion/Recommendations

NPLAN's practical educational and policy tools aim to de-mystify the myriad of laws affecting water accessibility and promote strategies that increase water consumption in schools.