Locals encouraged to choose ‘Water First for Thirst’

MANSFIELD, Ohio — Richland County has joined a statewide initiative that’s meant to educate individuals about why water should be their first beverage of choice.

“‘Water First for Thirst’ was launched as a way to draw attention to the beverages that we tend to consume and the role that plays in obesity and chronic disease,” said Karyl Price, project coordinator of the Creating Healthy Communities Project at Richland Public Health.

The Water First for Thirst campaign was originally developed by Columbus Public Health.

Price said the Ohio Department of Health has provided support and helped create a unified message that local health departments can use to promote the idea that water is the best option to choose when thirsty.

As part of this initiative, Richland Public Health has collaborated with local businesses to help educate the public.

“We have helped them (businesses) put together displays that show the sugar content of some of the things that we drink so often, whether that’s sugary coffee, juices, soda or energy drinks,” she said.

She added, “We’ve helped a number of sites with putting water bottle filling stations onto their existing or new water fountains.”

Price said the filling stations have been “wildly popular.”

“It allows you to put your bottle right under a fount and refill your water bottle very easily instead of tipping it and trying to catch the water off a traditional water fountain,” she said.

Price said the campaign has been well-received since it was introduced to the area last year.

“Awareness is a very good first step to making some changes and some improvements in what we eat and drink,” she said. 

According to statistics listed on Columbus Public Health’s website,

• Americans consume almost 50 gallons of sugary drinks a year, equaling 38 pounds of sugar
• More than 38 percent of toddlers (age 21-24 months) consumed sugary sweetened beverages at least one time a day in the U.S.
• Every serving of sugary drinks children consume increases their chances of becoming overweight or obese by about 60 percent
• For adults, consuming one or more sugary drinks each day increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by about 25 percent
• In 2009-2010, about 40 percent of Ohio’s third graders were consuming two or more sugary drinks a day
• Soft drinks are the food most strongly linked to increased rates of obesity and risk for diabetes

“Water is absolutely the best thing to drink,” Price said. “It fuels your body, it’s good for your mind, it keeps you hydrated if you’re exercising or doing anything active, and it has no calories.

“It’s just a win for everyone to drink more water and to encourage that consumption in every way that we can to help combat obesity and chronic disease.”