Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
School for Architecture and Environment, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.
Nat Commun. 2024 Aug 25;15(1):7320. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-51528-x.
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.
对饮用水安全的认知会影响到许多与健康相关的行为和态度，包括用水和对水的价值评估，但这些认知通常无法测量。因此，我们利用世界风险调查（World Risk Poll）的全国代表性调查数据（n=148585 人），对 141 个国家的自我报告预期饮用水危害进行了特征描述，并确定了国家和个人层面的预测因素。我们发现，在所调查的国家中，超过一半（52.3%）的成年人预计在未来两年内会因饮用水而遭受严重危害。与男性相比，女性（相对于男性）、城市（相对于农村）居民、自我报告经济困难的人（相对于依靠现有收入维持生计的人）以及受教育程度更高的人，更有可能自我报告预期会受到伤害。在国家层面的多变量模型中，报告最近因饮用水而遭受伤害的人口比例、不安全饮用水导致的死亡比例以及对公共部门腐败的看法，都与自我报告预期危害的流行程度相关。考虑到用户的观点，特别是对水安全和水服务治理的信任，对于促进有效的水资源管理以及确保水服务的使用、安全和可持续性至关重要。
