OBJECTIVE: High water consumption has been proposed as an aid to weight control and as a means of reducing the energy density of the diet. This study examines the relationship between water consumption and other drinking and eating patterns. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999 to 2001, with responses from 4755 individuals [>/=]18 years of age, provides the data for this cross-sectional analysis. A cluster analysis was performed using z-scores of specific food and beverage consumption to examine patterns. A multinomial logit analysis was used to examine sociodemographic characteristics of each dietary pattern and to examine the effects of water consumption on the likelihood of consuming a non-dairy caloric beverage. All results were weighted to be nationally representative and controlled for design effects. RESULTS: Within the sample, 87% consumed water, with an average daily consumption of 51.9 oz (1.53 liters) per consumer. Water consumers drank fewer soft/fruit drinks and consumed 194 fewer calories per day. Water consumers (potentially a self-selected sample) consumed more fruits, vegetables, and low- and medium-fat dairy products. Four distinct unhealthy dietary patterns were found that included little or no water consumption. Older and more educated persons used healthier food patterns. Mexican dietary patterns were much healthier than dietary patterns of blacks. DISCUSSION: Water consumption potentially is a dietary component to be promoted, but much more must be understood about its role in a healthy diet. Because high water consumption is linked with healthier eating patterns--patterns more likely to be followed by higher-educated, older adults--the target of water promotion and healthy diet options should focus on younger and less educated adults.

The early months of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant disruptions in food supply chains, which increased consumers’ concern about possible food shortages and price gouging. To ensure personal food security, many consumers began stockpiling food and water in unusually large amounts.The goal of this study was to investigate individual- and household-level predictors of food and water stockpiling (FWS) in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic among Non-Latino Black and Latino adults.This study was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data. Participants were 2,174 Non-Latino Black (66.4%) and Latino (33.6%) adults residing in a Midwestern state, who completed the survey in either May or June/July 2020.Participants were asked to self-report (yes or no) if they stockpiled food and/or water in the prior 7 days in response to the pandemic. A variety of variables was examined, including education level, annual income, employment status, concerns about COVID-19, and self-quarantine status. Crude and adjusted logistic regressions were used to identify variables associated with FWS.Non-Latino Black participants had lower odds of reporting FWS compared to Latinos (OR 0.64; 95% CI, 0.51-0.79). Similarly, participants who were not concerned about COVID-19 had lower odds of FWS compared with those extremely concerned (OR 0.37; 95% CI, 0.20 – 0.71). In contrast, odds of FWS were higher among participants who were self-quarantining all the time compared to those who were not (OR 2.16; 95% CI, 1.31 – 3.59).Results showed that Latinos, adults concerned about COVID-19, and self-quarantine status had significantly higher odds of FWS during the pandemic.

The North China Plain (NCP) is one of the major grain production areas in China where the groundwater level has declined rapidly in recent years because of irrigation. To alleviate the pressure on water resources, in 2016, the government developed and implemented a reasonable subsidy policy, known as the Winter Fallow Policy (WFP), to fallow cultivated land in a selected pilot area in the funnel region (Heilonggang region, HR). In the present study, a large-scale household survey was conducted across the NCP groundwater overexploitation region (OR) to evaluate the possible impact of the WFP on groundwater and food security. Our survey results indicated that the education level of decision makers, the dependency ratio of farmers, laborers per cultivated area, and the magnitude of the importance of water-saving in agriculture of decision makers have significant impacts on farmers' willingness to fallow. The average ecological compensation (EC) was 8781 CNY/ha (1358 USD/ha) and varied from 6932 to 10816 CNY/ha (1072–1673 USD/ha) in different counties. Winter wheat fallow in semiarid, dry subhumid and humid areas can save approximately 4642, 3325 and 1906 m³/ha, respectively, of groundwater in the OR. In the HR, a fallow area of 0.31×10⁶ ha is recommended for maintaining the current groundwater table, and an area of 0.42×10⁶ ha is recommended for restoring or recovering groundwater resources; these areas are greater than the existing fallow area and will reduce wheat yields, accounting for 1.55% and 2.08%, respectively, of national wheat production. Thus, EC standards should be determined based on local commodity price standards and modified based on annual changes in local conditions. Furthermore, the winter fallow acreage should be expanded in the HR to maintain the groundwater table.