5242.0: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - Board 5

Abstract #10096

Attitudes and beliefs affect drinking water consumption in the greater Washington, DC, region

Rebecca T. Parkin, John M. Balbus, William F. Waters, and Lucy Hsu. Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, George Washington University, 2300 K Street, NW, Suite 201, Washington, DC 20037, 202-994-1734, eohrtp@gwumc.edu

It is well known that people consume water quite differently across the United States, but little is known about the factors that affect water consumption within specific regions. More detailed knowledge could be used to reduce uncertainties introduced into research and risk assessments when national consumption data are applied to specific regions. We used telephone survey and focus group methods to examine the water-related attitudes, beliefs, and consumption patterns of over 1600 residents of the Greater Washington, DC, region. We found significant differences between consumers living in urban, suburban, and more rural areas. Beliefs about water safety and esthetics were related to education, health status, age of children in the household, and water use and practices. Attitudes about the government’s role in protecting water quality also varied with residence, age of children, and beliefs and practices. We will report on these findings and discuss their implications for research and risk assessments.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to 1) Describe attitudes and beliefs about drinking water for the general population. 2) Describe different patterns of attitudes and beliefs within the population surrounding and in Washington, DC. 3) Discuss the implications of those attitudes and beliefs for risk communication and risk management

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA