An Evaluation of Adults' Water and Fluid Consumption

• Main Authors: Hülya Yardimci, Yahya Özdoğan, Esma Asil, Eylül Damla Hovland, Ayşe Özfer Özçelik
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Light House Polyclinic Mangalore 2016-10-01
• Series: Online Journal of Health & Allied Sciences
• Subjects: Health professional; fluid; water; consumption
• Online Access: http://www.ojhas.org/issue59/2016-3-8.html
• ISSN: 0972-5997; 0972-5997

Aim: This study was aimed to determine the daily water and fluid consumption of health professionals. Methods: The sample included 313 subjects (female: 222, male: 91) between 22 and 49 years of age. The questionnaire solicited demographic information from the participants and asked about their fluid consumption and its frequency. The principal variable was gender. To analyze the data statistically, tables of means, standard deviations (X±SD) and percentage (%) values were used. When identifying the fluid intake of healthcare staff, the independent t test was used to account for gender. Results: The fluid consumption of the participants was examined, and the average was 2,262.6±845.2 mL. The mean consumption of water was 1,404.0±719.8 mL. Other significant fluid intake included black tea at 314.4±147.9 mL, instant coffee at 160.5±52.2 mL, milk/ayran/kefir at 157.7±134.8 mL, soft drinks at 61.6±104.7 mL and fruit juice at 72.5±103.9 mL. It was also found that the gender differences in total fluid and soft drink consumption were statistically significant (p<.05), while the consumption of other drinks did not vary significantly by gender (p>.05). Conclusion: To precisely determine water and fluid intake, studies should be planned and conducted with large samples using standardized assessment tools.