Department of Public Health, AFG College with the University of Aberdeen, Doha P.O. Box 10805, Qatar.
Department of Environmental Health and Safety, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Doha P.O. Box 24449, Qatar.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Sep 25;21(10):1271. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21101271.
In recent years, there has been a clear increase in bottled water consumption globally, which has led to significant health and environmental concerns. This cross-sectional study aims to understand the attitude and preferences of university students in Qatar towards the use of bottled and tap drinking water using an online survey questionnaire (September and October 2022). The number of students who responded to the online survey was 14% ( = 688) of the student population, with a mean age of 22.23 ± 5.15 years from the different colleges. Overall, a higher fraction of students preferred plastic bottled water as the main drinking source on campus ( = 468; 68.02%), with a majority of them being females (72.08%). Out of the 468 students who preferred plastic bottled water, safety was the most important factor (43.80%), followed by convenience (16.88%) and taste (15.60%). Cost (15.17%), personal/family habits (5.13%), environmental concerns (2.14%), and mineral content (1.28%) were found to be the least important factors. Among the 45 students (6.54%) who preferred tap water over plastic bottled water, cost (46.67%) was the dominant factor, followed by convenience (20.00%), environmental concerns and safety (13.33% each), taste (4.44%), and personal/family habits (2.22%). Around 72% believed that plastic water bottles were more harmful to the environment, yet the greater majority still resorted to this source. The research study underscores safety as the major factor favoring bottled water over tap water. Further, it suggests that knowledge alone does not fully explain student behavior, implying other influential factors. This study recommends campaigns focus on attitude and behavior change and not solely emphasize knowledge. There is an immediate need to further educate students through environmental and health literacy programs on water consumption and quality. Enabling the population to understand the positive and negative aspects of their choices may be an effective remedy for ensuring a healthy population and healthy environment.
近年来，全球瓶装水的消费量明显增加，这引发了人们对健康和环境的关注。本横断面研究旨在使用在线问卷调查（2022 年 9 月至 10 月）了解卡塔尔大学生对瓶装和自来水饮用的态度和偏好。对在线调查做出回应的学生人数占学生总数的 14%（=688 人），来自不同学院，平均年龄为 22.23±5.15 岁。总体而言，更高比例的学生更喜欢将塑料瓶装水作为校园的主要饮用水源（=468；68.02%），其中大多数是女性（72.08%）。在 468 名更喜欢塑料瓶装水的学生中，安全性是最重要的因素（43.80%），其次是便利性（16.88%）和口感（15.60%）。成本（15.17%）、个人/家庭习惯（5.13%）、环境问题（2.14%）和矿物质含量（1.28%）被认为是最不重要的因素。在 45 名（6.54%）更喜欢自来水而不是塑料瓶装水的学生中，成本（46.67%）是主要因素，其次是便利性（20.00%）、环境问题和安全性（各占 13.33%）、口感（4.44%）和个人/家庭习惯（2.22%）。约 72%的人认为塑料水瓶对环境的危害更大，但绝大多数人仍倾向于选择这种水源。本研究强调安全是支持瓶装水而非自来水的主要因素。此外，这表明仅靠知识并不能完全解释学生的行为，这暗示着其他有影响力的因素。本研究建议宣传活动侧重于态度和行为的改变，而不仅仅是强调知识。当务之急是通过水消费和质量的环境和健康素养方案进一步教育学生。使人们了解他们选择的积极和消极方面，可能是确保健康人口和健康环境的有效补救措施。
