Overweight prevention through the modification of beverage consumption in elementary school children

There is an apparent need for effective interventions for the prevention of childhood overweight. Increasing evidence points towards an association between children’s beverage consumption habits and their body weight status. Against this background, a controlled cluster trial was conducted to evaluate a preventive intervention designed to increase school children’s water consumption. Thirty-two elementary schools from low socioeconomic status urban districts in Germany participated. The trial showed that promoting the consumption and the provision of drinking water in schools was effective in reducing the risk of overweight. However, this preventive effect was not observed among children with a migrational background. Although the overweight epidemic cannot be solved by a single measure, the proposed intervention could be an effective and feasible component of future overweight prevention programs.