Background
Preferences for tap water in the U.S.
Factors affecting drinking water preferences
Drinking water practices in Nogales, Arizona
Study objectives
Methods
Study design and population
Questionnaire
Statistical analysis
Results
Demographics
Characteristics | n | % |
---|---|---|
Gender | ||
Female | 75 | 83 |
Male | 15 | 17 |
Age | ||
< 35 years | 44 | 49 |
≥ 35 years | 46 | 51 |
Immigration Status | ||
Immigrant (born outside U.S.) | 44 | 49 |
Non-Immigrant (born in U.S.) | 46 | 51 |
Annual household income | ||
< $15,000 | 48 | 53 |
Between $30,000 and $15,000a | 42 | 47 |
Education level | ||
≤ 8th grade | 43 | 48 |
9-12th grade | 27 | 30 |
Some college | 20 | 22 |
Years lived in the U.S | ||
0–10 yrs | 22 | 24 |
11–20 yrs | 35 | 39 |
> 20 yrs | 33 | 37 |
Sources of water-related risk perceptions
Activity | Mean | SD |
---|---|---|
Tap water perceptions | ||
I’m happy with the taste of my tap water | 2.0 | 1.4 |
I’m happy with the odor of my tap water | 3.0 | 1.6 |
I’m happy with the color of my tap water | 3.1 | 1.5 |
I’m happy with the clarity of my tap water | 3.2 | 1.6 |
I drink my tap water | 2.2 | 1.6 |
It is safe to drink my tap water | 2.2 | 1.6 |
I trust my tap water company to provide me with safe drinking water | 2.6 | 1.7 |
My tap water has too much chlorine | 3.4 | 1.5 |
My tap water is too hard | 3.5 | 1.6 |
Friends or family have told me not to drink tap water | 4.5 | 1.1 |
Bottled water perceptions | ||
It is safe to drink water vended at water stations or at the store | 3.5 | 1.5 |
It is safe to drink bottled water | 3.9 | 1.4 |
The way I store my water keeps my water clean | 4.3 | 1.3 |
I use bottled water or other sources of water (not tap) for drinking | 4.4 | 1.3 |
The water containers I use are clean | 4.5 | 1.0 |
Rationale for drinking water choice
Likelihood and dread of health outcomes anticipated by participants
Perceived Likelihood | Dread | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outcome | n | % | Mean | SD | Mean | SD |
GI illnesses | 74 | 45 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 3.6 | 1.0 |
Lupus | 21 | 13 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 4.2 | 0.8 |
Parasites/Microbes | 16 | 10 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 1.0 |
Cancer | 15 | 9 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 3.6 | 1.1 |
Other | 10 | 6 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.7 |
Chemicals | 9 | 5 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 4.3 | 0.9 |
General infections | 8 | 5 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 1.0 |
Allergic reactions | 8 | 5 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 0.9 |
Dental problems | 5 | 3 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 1.8 |
Risk and voluntariness comparison of local tap water consumption to other activities
Activity | Mean | SD | Mean difference | P-value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Drinking-water activities | ||||
Drinking tap water in Nogales, AZ, USA | 4.7 | 0.8 | Ref | Ref |
Drinking tap water in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México | 4.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.431 |
Drinking tap water in Nogales, Sonora, México | 4.8 | 0.6 | -0.1 | 0.972 |
Drinking tap water in San Francisco, CA, USA | 3.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | < 0.001* |
Drinking tap water in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | 3.4 | 1.3 | 1.3 | < 0.001* |
Drinking water from a well | 4.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.00 |
Other activities | ||||
Drinking and driving | 4.8 | 0.6 | -0.2 | 1.00 |
Driving a car | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.6 | < 0.001* |
Exposure to pesticides | 4.7 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.984 |
Firing a gun | 4.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.972 |
Listening to loud music | 3.8 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.020* |
Playing American football | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.022* |
Riding a motorcycle | 2.6 | 1.3 | 2.1 | < 0.001* |
Riding in a car without a seatbelt | 4.4 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.971 |
Smoking | 3.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | < 0.001* |
Using Raid™ (insecticide) | 3.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 | < 0.001* |
Activity | Mean | SD | Mean difference | F statistic | P-value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Drinking-water activities | |||||
Drinking tap water in Nogales, AZ, USA | 1.7 | 1.2 | Ref | Ref | |
Drinking tap water in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México | 1.9 | 1.3 | -0.2 | 0.5 | 0.982 |
Drinking tap water in Nogales, Sonora, México | 1.9 | 1.4 | -0.2 | 0.5 | 0.972 |
Drinking tap water in San Francisco, CA, USA | 2.5 | 1.4 | -0.8 | 1.3 | 0.244 |
Drinking tap water in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | 2.3 | 1.3 | -0.6 | 0.7 | 0.823 |
Drinking water from a well | 2.1 | 1.4 | -0.4 | 0.6 | 0.994 |
Other activities | |||||
Drinking and driving | 1.1 | 0.5 | -0.6 | 0.7 | 0.842 |
Driving a car | 4.5 | 1.2 | -2.8 | 5.3 | < 0.001* |
Firing a gun | 2.8 | 1.6 | -1.1 | 5.1 | 0.002* |
Listening to loud music | 2.7 | 1.5 | -1.1 | 4.2 | 0.010* |
Playing American football | 2.3 | 1.4 | -0.6 | 0.6 | 0.922 |
Riding in a car without a seatbelt | 1.4 | 0.9 | -0.3 | 0.5 | 0.971 |
Smoking | 1.4 | 1.0 | -0.3 | 0.5 | 0.983 |
Using Raid™ (insecticide) | 2.4 | 1.3 | -0.8 | 1.2 | 0.312 |