Efficacy of a Smart Water Bottle Intervention to Increase Fluid Consumption in College Students

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Dehydration
• Interventions: Behavioral: Smart Water Bottle

• Registration Number: NCT06259799
• Lead Sponsor: Kennesaw State University

Brief Summary

Approximately 60% of males and 40% of females do not meet current fluid intake recommendations, which is associated with adverse health consequences such as obesity, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. Newer technologies have been designed to promote fluid intake. "Smart Water Bottles" use mHealth technology to capture fluid intake behaviors automatically and provide cues to encourage fluid consumption. Studies using Smart Water Bottles have helped some individuals increase fluid intake to help reduce kidney stone formation. However, limited research has assessed the efficacy of this technology on improving fluid intake in college students. College is a time with the potential to form healthy habits that carry into adulthood. Previous work has also identified daily changes in morning urine color, thirst perception, and body mass, as simple, inexpensive indicators of daily fluctuations in water balance. Tracking changes in these metrics has the potential to provide participants with evidence of adequate or inadequate fluid consumption. Thus, the combination of prompting from a smart water bottle, as well as daily self-monitoring changes in hydration status, may encourage college students to increase daily fluid consumption.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2024-02-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-02-07
• Study First Posted: 2024-02-14
• Study Start: 2024-04-01
• Status Verified: 2025-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-03-06
• Last Update Posted: 2025-03-10
• Primary Completion: 2025-06
• Study Completion: 2025-12

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 30

Inclusion Criteria

• Participants must report currently drinking less than the European Food Safety Authority Recommendations for fluid, as determined by an online pre-screening survey (<2.5 L per day for males; <2.0 L per day for females).
• Has access to a cell phone which can download the app associated with the Smart Water Bottle.

Exclusion Criteria

• Currently trying to gain or lose weight
• Have had surgery of the digestive tract
• Currently taking diuretics (e.g., Thiazide, Loop diuretics or potassium-sparing diuretics)
• Currently taking centrally-acting medications (e.g., anesthetics, anticonvulsants, central nervous system stimulants/amphetamines, muscle relaxants)
• Report currently consuming at least the European Food Safety Authority Recommendations for fluid, as determined by an online pre-screening survey (>= 2.5 L per day for males, >=2.0 L per day for females).
• Currently pregnant (females)

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Smart Water Bottle	Smart Water Bottle	Participants in the intervention group will be prompted by the water bottle to drink (bottle will light up red) whenever they are behind on fluid intake recommendations for the day. The bottle will be linked to a smart phone application that participants will be instructed to download on their personal mobile device, but they will log into this device using a researcher provided username and password. The bottle will encourage male participants to consume 2.5 L and for female participants to consume 2.0 L of fluid. Participants will be asked to use this bottle to consume all water and enter any additional sources of fluid using the mobile application. The intervention group will also be asked to record their daily perceived thirst, first morning urine color, and body mass as a means of self-monitoring daily changes in hydration status, using a provided paper log.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Total Fluid Intake	Pre and Post 2-week intervention	Total Fluid Intake will be reported by participants for 3 days before and after the intervention using a validated fluid log. The average of 3-days of fluid recording will be used.
Changes in 24h urine osmolality	Pre and Post 2-week intervention	Urinary osmolality reflects the concentration of urine, with higher values indicative of worse hydration. Urine osmolality will be collected for 3 days at the start and end of the study, with the average of each 3 day period used for analyses.
Changes in 24h urine volume	Pre and Post 2-week intervention	Higher urine volume tends to correspond with greater fluid intake.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in body water distribution	Pre and Post 2-week intervention	Intracellular and extracellular water content measured via BIA.
Change in urine color measured by validated urine color chart	Pre and Post 2-week intervention	A validated urine color will be used to rate urine samples. Higher values correspond with worse hydration.
Change in Aldosterone	Pre and Post 2-week intervention	Fluid regulatory hormone involved in plasma volume regulation.
Changes in calorie intake from dietary log.	Pre and Post 2-week intervention	The ASA-24 is an electronic diet log participants will use to record their diet at the start and end of the study.
Change in urine specific gravity	Pre and Post 2-week intervention	Measures the density of the urine.
Hydration KAB Scales	Pre and Post 2-week intervention.	Brief questionnaire assessing hydration knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about hydration and fluid intake behaviors.
Change in copeptin	Pre and Post 2-week intervention	Copeptin is a surrogate marker for vasopressin, a major fluid regulatory hormone which increases fluid conservation at the kidneys.
Change in body fat percentage	Pre and Post 2-week intervention	Assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Kennesaw State University; 🇺🇸 Kennesaw, Georgia, United States