Use and acceptance of drinking fountains : a pilot study in two secondary schools in Dortmund, Germany

Gerhardus, Martin Jakob; Klammer, Susanne; Galatsch, Michael; Weigel, Ralf

doi:10.3390/children10050817

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-27804

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Use and acceptance of drinking fountains : a pilot study in two secondary schools in Dortmund, Germany
Authors:	Gerhardus, Martin Jakob Klammer, Susanne Galatsch, Michael Weigel, Ralf
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.3390/children10050817 10.21256/zhaw-27804
Published in:	Children
Volume(Issue):	10
Issue:	5
Page(s):	817
Issue Date:	May-2023
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	MDPI
ISSN:	2227-9067
Language:	English
Subjects:	Beverage; Drinking; School; Health promotion; Health education; Drinking water; Overweight; Child
Subject (DDC):	614: Public health and prevention of disease 618.92: Pediatrics
Abstract:	(1) Background: Water drinking is essential to reduce obesity in children, but effective means for implementation remain controversial. Our study assesses students’ and teachers’ use of and attitudes towards drinking fountains in two urban secondary schools. (2) Methods: In a cross-sectional study, answers from students and teachers to a 28- and 19-item questionnaire, respectively, containing closed- and open-ended questions and short interviews with the schools’ two principals were described and analysed using the question-specific number of responses as the denominator. (3) Results: Questionnaires of one hundred sixty-two students and ten teachers were analysed; 36.1% of students responded. Students viewed the schools’ two fountains as a good idea (73.3%, n = 118), recommended them to other schools (73.1%, n = 117), and felt able to distinguish healthy from unhealthy drinks (70.5%, n = 110). In contrast, 55.7% (n = 88) reported using the fountains regularly; over a week, 39.8% (n = 47) used them less than once; 26.3% (n = 31) used them one to two times. Only about a third (26.5%, n = 43) reported consuming more water since the fountains’ installation. Teachers’ responses were similar to students’; principals stressed planning and costs. (4) Conclusions: A discrepancy between a good attitude towards and actual use of drinking fountains may exist; school communities may need to look for measures to overcome it.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/27804
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International
Departement:	School of Health Sciences
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Nursing (IPF)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Gesundheit

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Gerhardus, M. J., Klammer, S., Galatsch, M., & Weigel, R. (2023). Use and acceptance of drinking fountains : a pilot study in two secondary schools in Dortmund, Germany. Children, 10(5), 817. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10050817

Gerhardus, M.J. et al. (2023) ‘Use and acceptance of drinking fountains : a pilot study in two secondary schools in Dortmund, Germany’, Children, 10(5), p. 817. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/children10050817.

M. J. Gerhardus, S. Klammer, M. Galatsch, and R. Weigel, “Use and acceptance of drinking fountains : a pilot study in two secondary schools in Dortmund, Germany,” Children, vol. 10, no. 5, p. 817, May 2023, doi: 10.3390/children10050817.

GERHARDUS, Martin Jakob, Susanne KLAMMER, Michael GALATSCH und Ralf WEIGEL, 2023. Use and acceptance of drinking fountains : a pilot study in two secondary schools in Dortmund, Germany. Children. Mai 2023. Bd. 10, Nr. 5, S. 817. DOI 10.3390/children10050817

Gerhardus, Martin Jakob, Susanne Klammer, Michael Galatsch, and Ralf Weigel. 2023. “Use and Acceptance of Drinking Fountains : A Pilot Study in Two Secondary Schools in Dortmund, Germany.” Children 10 (5): 817. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10050817.

Gerhardus, Martin Jakob, et al. “Use and Acceptance of Drinking Fountains : A Pilot Study in Two Secondary Schools in Dortmund, Germany.” Children, vol. 10, no. 5, May 2023, p. 817, https://doi.org/10.3390/children10050817.