Types and amounts of fluids consumed by the adult population of Tehran, 2011

Adequate hydration is essential for proper physical and mental function. So far there has been no published comprehensive report on fluid intake in Iran. This study was conducted to determine the mean intake of different types of fluids in adult population of Tehran in 2011. Subjects and This study was conducted in the Iranian capital، Tehran. A total of 572 adults (in three age groups: 18-29 yr، 30-49 yr، and 50-65 yr) were recruited from the northern، central and southern parts of Tehran metropolitan area to represent high، intermediate، and low socioeconomic status (SES)، respectively. The instrument for data collection consisted of a “demographic and general health” questionnaire and a “7-day fluid record”. Data entry was carried out within MS Access and analysis was performed using SPSS 16. The mean daily intake (in liters) and frequency of fluids was 1. 9 and 9. 6±3، respectively. Water comprised about one-half of the total daily beverage intake، followed by hot drinks. Men had a higher fluid intake (2. 2 L/d) compared to women (1. 7 L/d) (p<0. 01). In addition، the average daily intake of the 18-29-yr، 30-49-yr and 50-65-yr age groups was 1. 8، 2. 0 and 1. 9 L، respectively. In the lower SES groups the average intake (2. 1 L/d) was significantly higher than that in the other two SES groups (P<0. 001). Further analysis of the data showed that the mean fluid intake was significantly higher in the overweight (2. 1L) and obese (2. 2L) participants as compared with the normal weight (1. 8L) and underweight (1. 3 L) subjects (p<0. 001). Although the mean fluid intake of adult residents of Tehran is similar to that reported from many other studies، it is below WHO recommendations. The differences among intakes of the groups are mainly due to differences in water and hot drinks.