Media Info – Press Kit
August, 2011
Back to school:
Teach children the importance of water
There are 1.8 billion kids on the planet who all need to hydrate in a healthy way.
Two Nestlé Waters surveys showed that 98% of mothers say that keeping their
children well-hydrated is important; while 80% of them think their children are
not hydrated enough! However, most mothers don’t know how much their child
must drink, and 70% of them are interested in learning more.
Plain water is the reference to hydrate your child’s body. Water is an essential
nutrient for hydration without bringing any other elements to your body. Overconsumption of sugary beverages can lead to an excessive calorie intake.
Substituting of sugary beverages with water is one of the healthy habits which
help to manage daily energy intake.
Based on those facts, Nestlé Waters has gone on a mission: to help
educate, in various countries, kids from 6 to 14 years old on the benefits
and the pleasure of drinking water.
Thus, Nestlé Waters, with Nestlé Pure Life, has launched a program to
raise awareness on children hydration. This program targets mothers who
care about their kids’ needs in terms of hydration, providing the best answers,
specifically adapted to them. With children going back to school, September is a
key period to raise awareness. Nestlé Waters has designed a series of tools to
help markets communicate on the benefits of healthy hydration and how Nestlé
brands are the best option for it.
Why water is essential for children
Water is essential to life! Children’s body is made of it. New-born babies are 75%
water. The percentage decreases with age and adults’ body is made of 60%
water.
When children drink water, it hydrates their little body. Water flows through a
remarkable irrigation system that distributes water down to the tip of their toes
but also up to their brain.
Water is everywhere. It reaches every cell, every organ and notably their brain.
The brain is a complex organ. It allows us to think, memorize, and learn and
much more! Even today, nobody knows how it fully works. But, one thing is sure:
more than 2/3 of the brain is made of water*. It is during childhood, which is an
important period of learning that the brain mainly develops. As a consequence, a
good hydration is important for the children’s whole body and also for their brain
to function properly.
*73% of an adult’s brain consists of water (Mitchell, J Biol Chem, 1945: 625637).
Children’s sensitivity
It is true! Children are more vulnerable to dehydration than adults:
Children have a higher surface area compared to their body weight allowing for
greater water losses from the skin*.
Children may not have the reflex to drink, even when they are thirsty.
Proportionately, their water needs are greater than those of adults. That is why,
it is important to encourage them to drink regularly during the day, even if they
don’t ask for water.
It is also preferable to drink before being thirsty. In fact, by the time the
sensation of thirst arises, the lack of hydration is already there!
*D’anci et al. Nutr rev 2006; 64 (10) 457-64
Teach children the importance of water
At home, at school and at their activities, children need to drink 8 glasses of
water* a day to maintain the water balance in their body and replace the water
loss! Children, like adults, lose water by breathing, sweating and through urine
and faeces. To replenish their body, they get water from food and some water is
produced by their body. But this is not enough! To compensate the water loss,
they need to drink 8 glasses of water* every day.
To maintain the water balance in your children’s body and compensate the water
lost during the day, it is essential that they adopt healthy habits from an early
age by drinking water at home, at school and at any other moment, even when
you are not with them. To keep control, teach them the importance of water and
encourage them to drink regularly when you are together. If drinking water
throughout the day becomes a habit, they will keep on doing so when you are
not with them.
*1 glass = 15cl for a sedentary and healthy child aged 6 to under 14, living in a
temperate climate within the framework of a varied and balanced diet and
healthy lifestyle. Water intakes depend on the age and sex of the child.
Some tricks to keep children well hydrated
Encourage them to drink a glass of water when they wake up. In fact, even
during the night, children lose water! If possible, give them a bottle of water to
go to school: put one in their schoolbag or sports bag. Place bottles of water in
accessible places: on the dining table, in the fridge, on their desk… You can also
take one with you. So, when they ask for water, you can give them some
straightaway.
And, to help children, a fun way, easy to remember, has been found: 8 glasses
of water* per day, for 8 key moments of the day.
*1 glass = 15cl for a sedentary and healthy child aged
6 to under 14, living in a temperate climate within the
framework of a varied and balanced diet and healthy
lifestyle. Water intakes depend on the age and sex of
the child.
Children hydration: specific tools
Nestlé Waters has developed a series of toolkits on this specific topic: children
hydration program toolkit, and a kids kit designed like a newspaper for 6-12 year
olds that countries can use as a whole, or only some parts of it.
About Nestlé Pure Life…Healthy hydration
NESTLE PURE LIFE provides water with a pleasant and refreshing taste that can
be enjoyed by all your family.
Because water participates in the many functions on your body, it is necessary
that everyone has access to safe and tasty water to be properly hydrated, but
not at any price. That’s why NESTLÉ PURE LIFE offers all of the family water at
an affordable price
Its high quality and good taste, combined with its family
price, make NESTLE PURE LIFE an offer of truly great
value. It is a water to be shared and enjoyed by
everyone, at anytime!
Addressing families all around the world, NESTLE PURE
LIFE has become in just one decade the world's leading
bottled water brand, with 1000 glasses of Nestle Pure Life
drunk every second around the world in 2010.
The brand is today present in 28 countries around the
world; 40 countries in total including Europe where the
brand is sold under the brand names of Nestle Aquarel
and Nestle Vera.
Click here to learn more about Nestlé Pure Life
Nestle Waters Corporate Website
Nestlé Waters press contact:
Frédérique HENRY
Office: (+33) 1 41 23 68 46
[email protected]