Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States.
Educational Psychology Department, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States.
Environ Sci Technol. 2020 Dec 15;54(24):16017-16027. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c05355. Epub 2020 Dec 1.
The along the United States-Mexico border are generally self-built neighborhoods of low-income families that lack basic infrastructure. While some government assistance has provided roads and electricity, water and wastewater services are still lacking in many . This research is the first to collect a comprehensive dataset on water, sanitation, health, and living conditions in these unincorporated neighborhoods through collection of water samples and surveys; 114 households in 23 across three geographically diverse Texas counties are studied. Water quality is assessed via traditional microbial indicators, chlorine, and arsenic. This complex dataset requires an advanced statistical tool to disentangle relationships among diverse factors. Structural equation modeling is utilized to identify relationships among surveyed and measured variables. The model reveals that residents with well/hauled water accurately predict their water quality, while those with treated+piped water tend to think that their water is worse than it actually is. Dwelling quality and connection to sanitary sewers influence perceived health risks and household health, respectively. Furthermore, these communities have an overwhelming need and desire for point-of-use water treatment. This model can inform decision making and may be adapted to probe other questions and social dynamics for water and sanitation in unincorporated communities elsewhere.
美国-墨西哥边境沿线的棚户区通常是低收入家庭自行建造的，缺乏基本的基础设施。尽管一些政府援助提供了道路和电力，但许多棚户区仍然缺乏水和废水服务。这项研究首次通过收集水样和调查，收集了关于这些未合并社区的水、卫生、健康和生活条件的综合数据集；在德克萨斯州三个地理上不同的县的 23 个街区的 114 户家庭进行了研究。水质通过传统的微生物指标、氯和砷进行评估。这个复杂的数据集需要一个先进的统计工具来理清各种因素之间的关系。结构方程模型被用来识别调查和测量变量之间的关系。该模型表明，有井水/水车供水的居民能够准确预测他们的水质，而那些有处理过的/管道供水的居民往往认为他们的水比实际情况更差。居住质量和与卫生下水道的连接分别影响感知的健康风险和家庭健康。此外，这些社区对点供水处理有着强烈的需求和渴望。该模型可以为决策提供信息，并可用于探测其他问题和其他未合并社区的水和卫生设施的社会动态。
