Little is known on the relationship between obesity and hydration level in children.

A new study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health explored the possible association between childrens hydration status and body composition, through a survey.

This was a cross-sectional study, carried out in 2018, in Preliminary and High Schools from the Malopolska Province, Poland. The study group consisted of 264 children aged 7-15 years. The level of hydration was assessed based on urine osmolality during a school day. The examined had anthropometric tests and body composition assessment. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using a logistic regression analysis.

The results found that in the study group, 9.5% of the examined were overweight, 7.2% obese—referring more to the country than towns. Improper hydration was found in 53% of children, while 16.3% were severely dehydrated during a school day. The level of dehydration was higher in children with excessive body fat (BF%) than in children with normal BF%. Older age (>10 years) showed inverse association with dehydrationand excessive BF% showed 2.3-fold increase in odds of dehydration during a school day. Moreover, improper hydration was a risk factor of difficulties with concentration declared by students during a school day – OR 2.85.

In inference, it was stated that attention should be paid to appropriate hydration, especially in children with excessive body fat content who feature a higher risk of dehydration and fluid demand.

Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020 Sep30;17(19):E7181.doi: 10.3390/ijerph17197181.