Three out of four children and young people in Denmark consume more soda, soft drinks, and energy drinks than recommended. Half of 13- to 20-year-olds are even high consumers. For this reason, the Centre for Childhood Health has initiated a new partnership aimed at making water the natural choice for children and young people. The partnership is also led by Madkulturen and Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen.
The partnership consists of nine organizations that will work together to make cold, fresh drinking water more accessible and appealing in places like schools, youth education programs, after-school clubs, and sports facilities. It will also focus on why so many children and young people have a high daily intake of soda and similar drinks—and how this can be avoided.
“We want to make it easy to do the right thing,” says Jonas Egebart, chairperson of the Centre for Childhood Health. He continues:
“Water should be the easy choice, and we want to help influence routines and habits so that it becomes natural for children and young people to reach for water, whether they are at sports, at school, or at the dinner table.”
Consumption more than doubled
Danish consumption of soda has more than doubled between 1985 and 2022, according to figures from the DTU National Food Institute. It is partly this trend that the many organizations behind the partnership aim to curb.
Madkulturen contributes knowledge on how healthy choices can become more attractive to children and young people.
“When children and young people choose sweet drinks, it’s not just about taste—it’s also about habits, social norms, and role models. Drinking habits are shaped in everyday life: in the schoolyard, after-school clubs, and at home,” explains Judith Kyst, director of Madkulturen, continuing:
“That is why we use our experience with food culture change to create solutions together with children, young people, and the adults around them. We want to make it easy—and cool—to choose water,” she says.
Important early prevention
Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen sees the partnership as an important contribution to the early prevention of several diseases.
“A high intake of sugary drinks increases the risk of overweight and type 2 diabetes. By promoting water as the preferred choice, we can prevent this starting in childhood,” says Charlotte Demant Klinker, research leader and senior researcher at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen.
“We therefore see great potential in the partnership, which will change the systems that shape unhealthy drinking habits. Here, we can contribute knowledge and experience in developing and evaluating these types of complex initiatives,” she adds.
Pilot with 50 water stations
The partnership has collected knowledge on why Danish children and young people make the choices they do, and on the experiences of parents, schools, and institutions in trying to limit consumption.
It will now test various initiatives that can nudge children and young people toward the water tap instead of the kiosk. In dialogue with five pilot municipalities, approximately 50 water stations will be set up in schools, institutions, and sports halls. The goal is to collect knowledge and experiences that can later be scaled nationally.
Over time, the partnership plans to invite new partners with expertise and the ability to influence children and young people to join the collaboration. These could come from schools and educational institutions, municipalities, the retail sector, sports and community organizations, NGOs, or other relevant actors.
