Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology , 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
Environ Sci Technol. 2011 Apr 15;45(8):3260-7. doi: 10.1021/es102076x. Epub 2011 Mar 28.
Elevated arsenic concentrations in drinking water pose a health threat to millions of people. Although point-of-use sand filters provide an effective technical solution for mitigating arsenic exposure, the actual reduction in health risk also depends on psychological factors that influence behaviors related to this device. For example, acquiring a sand filter must be preferred to competing options for investing effort and money and, once installed, the users must regularly maintain the filters. These key behaviors of sustainable use are related to psychological factors, such as problem awareness, benefits and costs, social and affective influences, and the perception of practical difficulties. This study investigated the sustainable use of arsenic-removing sand filters in Vietnam. Based on questionnaire surveys, data were gathered in 319 rural households and analyzed with regression models. Psychological factors explained significant variance in the investigated key behaviors. Significant factors included perceived improvements in water healthiness and taste, monetary costs, social norms, and affective influences. In questions with open answers, interviewees mentioned various practical problems, particularly those related to the inflexibility of the device and the effort of changing the sand. Interestingly, many interviewees operate the sand filters for removing iron from the water but are unaware of problems with arsenic.
饮用水中砷浓度升高对数百万人的健康构成威胁。虽然现场使用的沙滤器为减轻砷暴露提供了有效的技术解决方案，但实际健康风险的降低也取决于影响与该设备相关行为的心理因素。例如，必须优先选择沙滤器来替代其他需要投入精力和金钱的选择，并且一旦安装，用户必须定期维护过滤器。这些可持续使用的关键行为与心理因素有关，例如问题意识、收益和成本、社会和情感影响以及对实际困难的感知。本研究调查了越南去除砷沙滤器的可持续使用情况。基于问卷调查，在 319 户农村家庭中收集了数据，并使用回归模型进行了分析。心理因素解释了所调查的关键行为的显著差异。显著因素包括对水质和口感改善的感知、货币成本、社会规范和情感影响。在有开放式答案的问题中，受访者提到了各种实际问题，特别是与设备缺乏灵活性和更换沙子的困难有关的问题。有趣的是，许多受访者使用沙滤器来去除水中的铁，但却没有意识到砷的问题。
