Examining Drinking Water Preferences among University Students: A Comparative Assessment

Razi Mahmood, Norr Hassan (), Ashraf Chamseddine, Ravi Rangarajan and Rami Yassoub
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Razi Mahmood: Department of Public Health, AFG College with the University of Aberdeen, Doha P.O. Box 10805, Qatar
Norr Hassan: Department of Environmental Health and Safety, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Doha P.O. Box 24449, Qatar
Ashraf Chamseddine: Department of Environmental Health and Safety, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Doha P.O. Box 24449, Qatar
Ravi Rangarajan: Department of Environmental Health and Safety, University of Doha for Science and Technology, Doha P.O. Box 24449, Qatar
Rami Yassoub: Department of Quality, Patient Experience and Health Informatics, Sidra Medicine, Doha P.O. Box 26999, Qatar

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 10, 1-14

Abstract: 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% ( n = 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 ( n = 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.

Keywords: bottled water; tap water; drinking water; university students; preferences; behavior; cross-sectional study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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