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Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Knowledge Gateway

A reference point for public health policy makers with reliable, independent and up-to date information on topics related to promotion of health and well-being.

  • Page | Last updated: 08 Apr 2021

Policy recommendations promoting water intake

Examples of policy recommendations promoting water intake

Restrict or eliminate choicea

WHO 2014

  • Replace sugar-sweetened beverages in school vending machines with bottled water.

  • Provide fresh drinking water fountains in schools and other locations where children gather.

Guide choice through disincentives or incentivesa

CDC 2010

  • 'increase the price of SSBs relative to other more healthful beverages through pricing adjustments, subsidies, or other differential pricing strategies'.
IDF 2016 (pdf)
  • Establish 'government incentives to increase availability and affordability of fresh vegetables, fresh fruit and clean drinking water.'

Enable or guide choice through changing defaultsa

EU 2014 (pdf)

  • Ensure the free supply of fresh drinking water in schools.
  • 'Promote free water in public areas like administrations, hospitals, schools (e.g. via installing water fountains).'
  • 'Promote the intake of tap water whilst reducing the intake of sweetened beverages, e.g. by installing water fountains and assessing daily water intake compared to a reference standard.'
CDC 2010
  • 'To promote water consumption, potable drinking water should be easily accessible to children and adults in homes and public facilities, including parks, playgrounds, schools, public buildings, worksites, and clinics'.
  • 'Advocate with public and private partners to improve the infrastructure to increase access to potable drinking water'.
IDF 2016 (pdf)
  • '…make clean drinking water freely available in all schools, places of employment and in public open spaces'.
  • 'Government incentives to increase availability and affordability of fresh vegetables, fresh fruit and clean drinking water.'

Provide informationa

CDC 2010

  • 'Collaborate with oral health partners and others with a common interest to develop a workplan to promote the consumption of (fluoridated) drinking water'.

Monitora

CDC 2010

  • 'Complete a needs assessment to identify where access to potable drinking water is limited'.

a Based on the Nuffield intervention ladder as described in (pdf).