You're In Good Hands

"I Don't have a Water Bottle!"

At the end of lunch time on Friday afternoon there is a line up of students at the door to sick bay. There is not a drop of blood in sight, a ball to the head, a twisted ankle, but there are headaches, stomach aches, drama, red faces, and lots of slouching on the couch. When this phenomena was originally observed, my initial reaction was that the school was dealing with a gastro pandemic and was grateful that I was wearing cleanable shoes.

But this phenomena continued over the weeks and as it turns out is actually very concerning. The signs and symptoms that the students are presenting with indicate that they maybe experiencing a mild DEHYDRATION.  

I know this sounds ridiculous but

Water (not soft drink, fruit pops, carbonated water with drops of flavor in it) is a vital ingredient for the body to FUNCTION. Water is needed to help the body to

• Digest food 
• Regulate body temperature 
• Treat headaches
• Reduce fatigue and
• Regulate moods.

It is hard to imagine that something as simple and easily accessible as water could be the difference between a good day of learning, successful social interactions and alertness and a bad day for your child. 

I conducted my own research based on the number of students that came to first aid with dehydration signs and symptoms and this is what I uncovered.

• 81% of students did not have a water bottle at school. Those children that did have a water bottle at school, simply forgot to use it.  
  • 67% of these students blamed mum for forgetting to pack it
  • 40% of these students consumed a highly processed liquid product
• 100% of students did not understand how valuable water was for the body
• 95% of students did not know how much water they should be drinking per day
• 90% of students thought that processed fluids could do the same thing as water 
• 75% of students thought that drinking ½ a water bottle or have several big gulps from the water tap stated that this was enough water for the day. 

Being a little shocked about the findings, first aid has created a fun facts board.  This month’s topic is water and the body, with lots of pictures to get the message across. Additionally, each child that comes into sick bay with even the slightest symptom of dehydration gets a personal tour of the board and a small lecture about being responsible for their own water bottle.