Knowledge and Preventive Practices on Water Contamination Among Rural Philippine Household Heads

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

Household-level water safety is dependent on how water is collected, stored, handled and protected from contamination, especially in rural areas that utilize mixed water sources. This quantitative descriptive-correlational study explored water contamination knowledge and prevention practices for 261 household heads selected through stratified random sampling from eight sitios in a rural Philippine barangay and examined the relationship between the two variables. Data were gathered using a researcher-developed questionnaire covering socio-demographic and water-use characteristics, knowledge across four prevention domains, and preventive practices measured on a five-point scale. Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rho were used for analysis. Overall knowledge was moderate (mean raw score = 15.89, SD = 2.42); proper disposal had the highest mean percentage score (83.30%), whereas water handling had the lowest (75.25%). Preventive practice was high overall (M = 4.35, SD = 0.61), with very high water-storage practice (M = 4.56, SD = 0.48). Knowledge and preventive practice were very weakly and non-significantly correlated (rho = 0.047, p = 0.446). The results suggest that good household water-safety habits can be maintained by experience, habit and local context beyond knowledge alone, and water handling is still a key topic for practical health education.