The promotion of water consumption among children in Aruba

INTERVENTION: Participating primary schools will be randomized in an intervention group and a control group. A key component of the intervention is influential children because of their impact on their social network. Therefore, this intervention will make use of the social network of children at their schools. The intervention will consist of four components: (1) Nominating children sociometrically by their own classmates through a questionnaire; (2) Targeting influential children to take up the role of peer influencers; (3) Training the influential peers to promote water consumption during informal interactions with their classmates for a period of eight weeks; and (4) Conducting follow‐up sessions to offer additional support. The control group will receive no treatment. During the training session the peer influencers will (a) Be educated about the health and environmental benefits of drinking water; (b) Be encouraged to formulate their own arguments for drinking water; (c) Be encouraged to find ways to have informal interactions with their classmates in which they can address the consumption of water; and (d) Be encouraged to be an example themselves. CONDITION: Drinking water, Overweight, Obesity, Children, Sugars ; ; PRIMARY OUTCOME: The consumption of water and sugar sweetened beverages. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Primary school children between 9 and 13 years old.