Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

LIVE: Thursday 2nd May 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

Quality sleep is essential for health. But what happens to our brains when sleep patterns are disturbed? Join our experts to explore the interplay between sleep disruption and neurological diseases, and the questions that you need to be asking your patients to help you prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2012

Open Access 01-12-2012 | Research article

Public perception of drinking water safety in South Africa 2002–2009: a repeated cross-sectional study

Authors: Jim A Wright, Hong Yang, Ulrike Rivett, Stephen W Gundry

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2012

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

In low and middle income countries, public perceptions of drinking water safety are relevant to promotion of household water treatment and to household choices over drinking water sources. However, most studies of this topic have been cross-sectional and not considered temporal variation in drinking water safety perceptions. The objective of this study is to explore trends in perceived drinking water safety in South Africa and its association with disease outbreaks, water supply and household characteristics.

Methods

This repeated cross-sectional study draws on General Household Surveys from 2002–2009, a series of annual nationally representative surveys of South African households, which include a question about perceived drinking water safety. Trends in responses to this question were examined from 2002–2009 in relation to reported cholera cases. The relationship between perceived drinking water safety and organoleptic qualities of drinking water, supply characteristics, and socio-economic and demographic household characteristics was explored in 2002 and 2008 using hierarchical stepwise logistic regression.

Results

The results suggest that perceived drinking water safety has remained relatively stable over time in South Africa, once the expansion of improved supplies is controlled for. A large cholera outbreak in 2000–02 had no apparent effect on public perception of drinking water safety in 2002. Perceived drinking water safety is primarily related to water taste, odour, and clarity rather than socio-economic or demographic characteristics.

Conclusion

This suggests that household perceptions of drinking water safety in South Africa follow similar patterns to those observed in studies in developed countries. The stability over time in public perception of drinking water safety is particularly surprising, given the large cholera outbreak that took place at the start of this period.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Doria MD: Factors influencing public perception of drinking water quality. Water Policy. 2010, 12: 1-19.CrossRef
2.
WHO: Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality. 2011, World Health Organization, Geneva, 4
3.
Anadu EC, Harding AK: Risk perception and bottled water use. J Am Water Works Ass. 2000, 92: 82-92.
4.
Doria MF: Bottled water versus tap water: understanding consumers' preferences. J Water Health. 2006, 4: 271-276.PubMed
5.
Jones AQ, Dewey CE, Dore K, Majowicz SE, Mcewen SA, Waltner-Toews D, Henson SJ, Mathews E: Public perception of drinking water from private water supplies: focus group analyses. Bmc Public Health. 2005, 5: 129-10.1186/1471-2458-5-129.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
6.
Turgeon S, Rodriguez MJ, Theriault M, Levallois P: Perception of drinking water in the Quebec City region (Canada): the influence of water quality and consumer location in the distribution system. J Environ Manage. 2004, 70: 363-373. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2003.12.014.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Dolnicar S, Schafer AI: Desalinated versus recycled water: Public perceptions and profiles of the accepters. J Environ Manage. 2009, 90: 888-900. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2008.02.003.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Hurlimann A, Hemphill E, Mckay J, Geursen G: Establishing components of community satisfaction with recycled water use through a structural equation model. J Environ Manage. 2008, 88: 1221-1232. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2007.06.002.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Anderson BA, Romani JH, Phillips H, Wentzel M, Tlabela K: Exploring environmental perceptions, behaviors and awareness: water and water pollution in South Africa. Popul Environ. 2007, 28: 133-161. 10.1007/s11111-007-0038-5.CrossRef
10.
Jalan J, Somanathan E, Choudhuri S: Awareness and the demand for environmental quality: drinking water in urban India. 2003, Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi, India
11.
Nauges C, van den Berg C: Perception of health risk and averting behavior: An analysis of household water consumption in Southwest Sri Lanka. 2006, LERNA, Toulouse, France
12.
Nauges C, Whittington D: Estimation of water demand in developing countries: An overview. World Bank Res Obser. 2010, 25: 263-294. 10.1093/wbro/lkp016.CrossRef
13.
Jalan J, Somanathan E: The importance of being informed: Experimental evidence on demand for environmental quality. J Dev Econ. 2008, 87: 14-28. 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2007.10.002.CrossRef
14.
Dolnicar S, Hurlimann A, Nghiem LD: The effect of information on public acceptance - The case of water from alternative sources. J Environ Manage. 2010, 91: 1288-1293. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.02.003.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Lucas PJ, Cabral C, Colford JM: Dissemination of drinking water contamination data to consumers: A systematic review of impact on consumer behaviors. PLoS ONE. 2011, 6: e2098-CrossRef
16.
Department of Water and Environmental Affairs: Blue Drop Report 2009 Version 1. 2009, South African Drinking Water Quality Management Performance, Pretoria, South Africa
17.
18.
Lubout R: Water Institute of South Africa 2nd Drinking Water Quality Conference. Promoting drinking water quality awareness: lessons learnt. 2009, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 11-13.
19.
Biswas AK, Jayatilaka R, Tortajada C: Social perceptions of the impacts of Colombo water supply projects. AMBIO. 2005, 34: 639-644.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Davis J, Whittington D: Challenges for water sector reform in transition economies. Water Policy. 2004, 6: 381-395.
21.
Banda K, Sarkar R, Gopal S, Govindarajan J, Harijan BB, Jeyakumar MB, Mitta P, Sadanala ME, Selwyn T, Suresh CR, Thomas VA, Devadason P, Kumar R, Selvapandian D, Kang G, Balraj V: Water handling, sanitation and defecation practices in rural southern India: a knowledge, attitudes and practices study. T Roy Soc Trop Med H. 2007, 101: 1124-1130. 10.1016/j.trstmh.2007.05.004.CrossRef
22.
Hoko Z: An assessment of the water quality of drinking water in rural districts in Zimbabwe. The case of Gokwe South, Nkayi, Lupane, and Mwenezi districts. Phys Chem Earth. 2005, 30: 859-866. 10.1016/j.pce.2005.08.031.CrossRef
23.
Anderson BA, Nhlapo MS: Changes in standard of living among population groups in South Africa: 1998–2006. 2008, University of Michigan Population Studies Center, Ann Arbor, MI
24.
Mendelsohn J, Dawson T: Climate and cholera in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: The role of environmental factors and implications for epidemic preparedness. Int J Hyg Envir Heal. 2008, 211: 156-162. 10.1016/j.ijheh.2006.12.002.CrossRef
25.
26.
27.
Doria MD, Pidgeon N, Hunter PR: Perceptions of drinking water quality and risk and its effect on behaviour: A cross-national study. Sci Total Environ. 2009, 407: 5455-5464. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.06.031.CrossRef
28.
Syme GJ, Williams KD: The psychology of drinking-water quality : An exploratory study. Water Resour Res. 1993, 29: 4003-4010. 10.1029/93WR01933.CrossRef
29.
Hemson D, Owusu-Amponah K: South African social attitudes: changing times, diverse voices. The vexed question: interruptions, cut-offs and water services in South Africa. Edited by: Pillay U, Roberts B, Rule SP. 2006, Human Sciences Research Council Press, Cape Town, South Africa, 150-175.
30.
Gordon D: Child poverty in the developing world. 2003, The Policy Press, Bristol, UK
31.
UNICEF: Immediate needs of children and women affected by the cholera outbreak. 2008, UNICEF South Africa, Pretoria
32.
Health System Trust: Reported cases of cholera.
33.
Archer BN, Cengimbo A, De Jong GM, Keddy KH, Smith AM, Sooka A, Ntshoe G, Blumberg L: Cholera outbreak in South Africa: preliminary descriptive epidemiology on laboratory-confirmed cases, 15 November 2008 to 30 April 2009. Comm Dis Surveill Bull. 2009, 7: 3-8.
34.
Filmer D, Pritchett LH: Estimating wealth effects without expenditure data - Or tears: An application to educational enrollments in states of India. Demography. 2001, 38: 115-132.PubMed
35.
Maharaj V, Pietersen T: Consulting south Africa's diverse population about the country's proposed national water resource strategy. Water SA. 2004, 30: 673-680.
36.
Pradhan B: Rural communities' perception on water quality and water borne disease: the case of Bungamati Village Development Committee in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. J Nepal Health Res Coun. 2004, 2: 1-7.
37.
Petrocelli JV: Hierarchical multiple regression in counseling research: Common problems and possible remedies. Meas Eval Couns Dev. 2003, 36: 9-22.
38.
39.
Dunston C, McAfee D, Kaiser R, Rakotoarison D, Rambeloson L, Hoang AT, Quick RE: Collaboration, cholera, and cyclones: A project to improve point-of-use water quality in Madagascar. Am J Public Health. 2001, 91: 1574-1576. 10.2105/AJPH.91.10.1574.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
40.
Echenberg M: Africa in the time of cholera: a history of pandemics from 1817 to the present. 2011, Cambridge University Press, New YorkCrossRef
41.
Dungumaro EW: Socioeconomic differentials and availability of domestic water in South Africa. Phys Chem Earth. 2007, 32: 1141-1147. 10.1016/j.pce.2007.07.006.CrossRef
42.
Mackintosh G, Colvin C: Failure of rural schemes in South Africa to provide potable water. Environ Geol. 2003, 44: 101-105.
43.
Ehlers MM, van Zyl WB, Pavlov DN, Muller EE: Random survey of the microbial quality of bottled water in South Africa. Water SA. 2004, 30: 203-210.CrossRef
44.
Bulmer M: Social research in developing countries: Surveys and censuses in the Third World. Interviewing and field organization. Edited by: Bulmer M, Warwick DP. 1993, Wiley & Sons Ltd, London, 205-218.
45.
Weir E, Haider S: Cholera outbreaks continue. Can Med Assoc J. 2004, 170: 1092-1093. 10.1503/cmaj.1040287.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Public perception of drinking water safety in South Africa 2002–2009: a repeated cross-sectional study
Authors
Jim A Wright
Hong Yang
Ulrike Rivett
Stephen W Gundry
Publication date
01-12-2012
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2012
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-556

Other articles of this Issue 1/2012

BMC Public Health 1/2012 Go to the issue

Research article

Epidemiology of Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli in Australia, 2000-2010

Research article

Acceptability of condom promotion and distribution among 10–19 year-old adolescents in Mpwapwa and Mbeya rural districts, Tanzania

Research article

Effectiveness of a peer-led HIV prevention intervention in secondary schools in Rwanda: results from a non-randomized controlled trial

Research article

How can insulin initiation delivery in a dual-sector health system be optimised? A qualitative study on healthcare professionals’ views

Research article

A cross-sectional survey of prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among prisoners in New South Wales, Australia

Research article

The negative impact of living environment on intelligence quotient of primary school children in Baghdad City, Iraq: a cross-sectional study