Indonesian Youths Are Dehydrated, Experts Warn
Jakarta. Experts from Indonesia Hydration Working Group, or IHWG, a research cluster of the University of Indonesia, raise concerns over dehydration problems among the country's youth.
A 2015 study published by the European Journal of Nutrition revealed that many Indonesian children and adolescents are insufficiently hydrated.
IHWG holds discussions and a seminar, IHWG Week, from Monday (06/11) to Wednesday, to highlight the issue. The sessions were supported by Tirta Investama, known under its trading name Danone Aqua. The company is the local unit of French conglomerate Danone and owns Indonesia's oldest bottled water brand Aqua.
"We believe that healthy hydration plays a significant role in improving people's health," hydration science director at Danone Aqua, Tria Rosemiarti, said in a statement.
Water is essential for our bodies to function, human cells do not work without it. It is needed to produce bodily fluids, regulate body temperature, digest food, and lubricate joints. It accounts for up to 60 percent of an adults person's body mass.
The study, titled "Total Fluid Intake of Children and Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Surveys in 13 Countries Worldwide," found that about 25 percent of Indonesia's boys aged between four and eight consume less water than 1.3 liter a day recommended by the European Food Safety Authority.
Among girls of the same ages the proportion is even higher — 33 percent.
About 45 percent of boys and more than 30 percent of girls 10 to 17 years old also lack adequate hydration.
Indonesian nutrition standard recommends eight to 10 glasses of water a day for adult men, six to eight glasses for adult women and five to seven glasses for children.
IHWG head Budi Wiweko said IHWG Week invites doctors and other medical practitioners to share their best practices and knowledge to address the issue.
The event also features foreign hydration experts, including Stavros Kavouras from the University of Arkansas, Ivan Tack from the Toulouse School of Medicine and Isabelle Guelinckx from Danone Research Center.
The University of Indonesia and Tirta Investama established IHWG in 2012. It has conducted numerous campaigns and studies on public health for the Ministry of Health.
Tags: Keywords: