Within the frames of the Master's thesis, we conducted a survey among pupils of the 5th and 9th grades of primary school, with which we checked their knowledge in the field of hydration and their drinking habits. With the questionnaire, we obtained answers from 391 pupils in the 5th and 307 pupils in the 9th grade from four Slovenian regions. Knowledge of the basics of hydration or dehydration was found to be weak in both age groups, and progress over the course of the grades was also shown to be low, as fifth-graders scored an average of 2.42 points out of 5, and ninth-graders 0.55 points higher. The pupils were well acquainted with the concept of dehydration, which is known to 73.4 % of fifth graders and 88.6 % of ninth graders, as well as with the drinks that are suitable for drinking on regular basis. Their knowledge of fluid intake recommendations, ways of fluid loss, and symptoms of dehydration, were areas where their results were poorer. Regarding the amount of daily fluid intake, on average, 49.7 % of pupils did not meet the recommendations for their age, of which there were more ninth graders (54.7 %). Pupils who were more physically active met the daily recommendations for fluid intake more often. At school, 77.8 % of pupils most often drank water or unsweetened tea, while at home they most often drank water (63.2 %) and syrups or Cedevita (16.3 %). 57.9 % of pupils most often drank the same drink at home and at school. Drinking liquids between and before meals was not related to a lower body mass index. Dehydration is therefore considered an area that we should also pay more attention to. The findings of the research may be helpful for formulating measures and raising awareness of healthy drinking habits amongst children as well as an encouragement to researchers to investigate this topic within other age groups.
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