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Study: Half Of Children Not Getting Enough Water

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A new study is raising concerns during the spring heat that children and teenagers may not be getting enough water, and that the lack of hydration may have an impact on their physical and emotional health.

Water was a hot commodity on a playground in Friday's triple-digit weather. While parents said they aim to keep their children hydrated, a new Harvard study says more than half of American children and teens aren't.

With a lack of hydration, the study says, comes headaches, moodiness and a drop in cognitive function.

"If he has played hard all day and he hasn't drank a lot of water he will be extra sensitive and you know, acting out more," said mother Jessica Wren.

The research doesn't surprise UC Davis Children's Hospital pediatrician Erik Fernandez Y Garcia.

"What previous studies have done is ask how much they're drinking," he said. "People tend to over report how much they're drinking."

This study more accurately measured hydration in the kids' urine.

He says grade-schoolers should drink about a liter of water a day, while middles schooler should drink two liters and high schoolers should drink three liters. The intake should go up on hot days and every child is different. the best gauge is to check their urine.

"If a child is urinating, they should be doing so frequently. and it should be clear to like light yellow," he said.

Also, don't let a cooling swim fool you. Kids still need to drink.

"Water, when you're in water, can actually be drying," he said. "So, in that case, you have to replenish your body, just like you would doing any other activity."

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