{"id":454,"date":"2017-08-30T21:04:02","date_gmt":"2017-08-30T21:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/significant-racial-ethnic-income-disparities-in-hydration-found-among-u-s-adults\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T22:25:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T05:25:00","slug":"significant-racial-ethnic-income-disparities-in-hydration-found-among-u-s-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ampac1.com\/blog\/significant-racial-ethnic-income-disparities-in-hydration-found-among-u-s-adults\/","title":{"rendered":"Significant Racial, Ethnic, Income Disparities In Hydration Found Among U.S. Adults"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nQuick Answer:<\/strong> A Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study found that almost a third of U.S. adults don’t drink enough water. Black, Hispanic, and lower-income adults face a much higher risk. Why? It’s often because they don’t have good access to clean, safe drinking water, just like we saw in places like Flint, Michigan.\n<\/div>\n

Almost a third of U.S. adults aren’t drinking enough water. A new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health shows that poorer adults, Black adults, and Hispanic adults are more likely to be dehydrated than wealthier and white adults.<\/p>\n

The study authors believe a big reason for these differences is that many people just don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. Think about the water problems<\/a> in places like Flint, Michigan- that’s a perfect example.<\/p>\n

This study came out online on July 20, 2017, in the American Journal of Public Health<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Why Clean Water Access Makes a Difference in How We Hydrate<\/h2>\n

It’s pretty clear: if your water isn’t good, you won’t drink it. Public health experts have written a lot about this connection. When people think their tap water is unsafe- or when tests show it’s got lead, nitrates, or germs- they naturally drink less of it. The problem is, bottled water isn’t an easy fix for everyone. Low-income families spend a much bigger chunk of their money on bottled water compared to wealthier households, who might just install a filter at home.<\/p>\n

That’s where point-of-use water treatment comes in. These systems offer a real way to close this gap. Reverse osmosis (RO) systems<\/a>, for instance, remove over 95% of bad stuff like lead, arsenic, fluoride, nitrates, and many other chemicals. Whole-house carbon filters make water taste better and get rid of chlorine byproducts, which encourages people to drink more tap water instead of sugary drinks.<\/p>\n

More and more, city water utilities in underserved areas are using advanced membrane filters and UV disinfection to clean water right at the source. For homes, small under-sink RO systems<\/a> now cost as little as $200-$400 installed. This makes high-quality filtered water available to a lot more people. Also, community water kiosks- basically purified water vending machines in areas that lack healthy food options and in low-income neighborhoods- are working well in California, Texas, and Florida. They’re helping more people get safe drinking water.<\/p>\n

To fix hydration inequality, we need two things: cities need to invest in their water systems, and homes need easy access to water treatment. Water treatment companies that work in underserved communities play a direct role in closing the hydration gap the Harvard researchers pointed out.<\/p>\n

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