Mississippi public schools will require 30 minutes of physical education each day starting this fall in an attempt to counteract the state's growing obesity problem. University of Southern Mississippi professor Dr. Denise Brown believes this is a good time to address the challenge of keeping students adequately hydrated.
 
The solution could be as easy as letting children carry water bottles with them to class, her research shows. 
 
"Studies show kids need a liter of fluids (more than 32 ounces) each school day," Brown said, associate professor with the Department of Nutrition and Food Systems in the College of Health. "Right now, they're only getting a quarter of that, and this directly affects skills such as math."
 
Brown recently conducted research funded by The Bower Foundation and coordinated through the Office of Healthy Schools on her project “Assessing the Impact of Implementing a Hydration Policy.” A select group of schools were chosen for the study where officials allowed their students to carry water bottles inside class. Initially, some common concerns expressed by educators were spills, bathroom interruptions and excessive plastic bottles.
 
At the end of the study, results showed far different with more instruction time, increased alertness and attentiveness, less consumption of sodas, decrease in hunger pains between breakfast and lunch, fewer headaches, water bottles used as incentive awards, less trash on campus, few spills and not one bathroom interruption - which also proved how dehydrated the students were to begin with, Brown pointed out.
 
"We've got to figure out ways for children to get hydrated," Brown said. "With the new PE requirements, children are not given the amount of water needed at water fountains to stay hydrated."
 
Teresa Jenny, Oak Grove Lower Elementary principal, said allowing students more access to water makes sense.
 
"If we are going to increase the activity level of students, we need to allow more access to water," Jenny said. "You just can't have one without the other."
 
Each student at Oak Grove Lower Elementary is given his and her own water bottle at the beginning of the year. Jenny said children are encouraged to take their water bottles home every night to wash them. They are also excited about drinking the water.
 
"Since allowing water in class, we've had fewer interruptions, less distraction and few spills - it's just water," Jenny said.
 
Some parents freeze the water bottles overnight to ensure their children have a cold drink throughout the next school day and during the afternoon ride home on a warm school bus.
 
Jenny said increasing this basic vital necessity helps meet the "needs of the whole child."

"You can have the best phonics and math program, but until you take care of the needs of the whole child, it's just a program," Jenny said.
 
To find out more about the benefits of water in the classroom, visit http://www.healthschoolsms.org.

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About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities.  In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world.  Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu.