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THE INFLUENCE OF RESTROOM ACCESSIBILITY ON FLUID CONSUMPTION HABITS AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH MEASURES IN TEACHERS

Abstract

Tiffany L. Adams, Delaney R. Baird, Cailin J. Kerch, Alison L. Hooper, Lee J. Winchester. The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.

BACKGROUND: Previous literature suggests that many elementary classroom teachers have very limited access to the restroom during the workday, and consequentially, tend to consume an inadequate amount of water or other fluids during the day. The purpose of this study is to determine if perceived ease of restroom access alters fluid consumption habits in elementary classroom teachers and how that affects measures of cardiovascular health. METHODS: Eighteen elementary school teachers were included in the study and divided into two groups, Easy Restroom Access (ERA) or Difficult Restroom Access (DRA), based on their perception of difficulty taking a restroom break. Pre- and post-school day vital assessments were taken, with pre-testing occurring before student arrival and post-testing once students had left. Resting blood pressure, heart rate, height, weight, and body composition were determined at each time point. Urine Samples were collected at both times for analysis of urine-specific gravity (USG). Data was analyzed using independent samples t-test for time (pre-post) or between-group comparisons at an α of p ≤0.05. RESULTS: The mean age of ERA teachers (39.0 ± 11.4 yrs.) was significantly higher than the mean age for DRA teachers (28.9 ± 5.5 yrs.) (p=0.034). Significantly 57.1% of the ERA teachers ranked in the very poor category for age-stratified body composition, while 100% of the DRA teachers had very poor body composition. No significant changes within groups from pre- to post-measures or between groups were observed for systolic blood pressure, heart rate, body water%, or fluids consumed. However, there was a general trend for decreased USG in the ERA group from pre- to post-measures (p=.0627). CONCLUSION: Our results provide a characterization of how discrepancies in restroom accessibility affect these measures. It appears that those who perceive difficulty accessing the restroom have a higher rate of obesity and tend to be younger than those who perceive restroom access to be easy, though these factors could be unrelated. Additional research is clearly needed in this population.

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