Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Perceptions of drinking water safety shape numerous health-related behaviors and attitudes, including water use and valuation, but they are not typically measured. We therefore characterize self-reported anticipated harm from drinking water in 141 countries using nationally representative survey data from the World Risk Poll (n = 148,585 individuals) and identify national- and individual-level predictors. We find that more than half (52.3%) of adults across sampled countries anticipate serious harm from drinking water in the next two years. The prevalence of self-reported anticipated harm is higher among women (relative to men), urban (relative to rural) residents, individuals with self-reported financial difficulties (relative to those getting by on their present income), and individuals with more years of education. In a country-level multivariable model, the percentage of the population reporting recent harm from drinking water, percentage of deaths attributable to unsafe water, and perceptions of public-sector corruption are associated with the prevalence of self-reported anticipated harm. Consideration of users' perspectives, particularly with respect to trust in the safety and governance of water services, is critical for promoting effective water resource management and ensuring the use, safety, and sustainability of water services.
Source: Nature Communications
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,790
Funders: National Science Foundation, Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Northwestern University, Lloyd's Register Foundation, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions, Leverhulme Trust, Lloyd's Register, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: G1106934233, G1271445333, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - to deliver validated and harmonized food systems methods and metrics, synthesize and facilitate uptake of interdisciplinary agriculture-nutrition-h..., Differential impacts of water insecurity on diet and body composition throughout the life course, G2114748114, G2123418183, URoL:ASC: The design, development, and societal impact of rapid, in-home, water quality biosensors, Transitions: Evolving our Understanding of Dynamic RNA Folding and Function, G3579762809, G411325686, G4522062898, G4823278081, G5774011373, G621655330, G6243871759, G907251944
OpenAlex ID: W4401863754