Safety First: Determinants Of Drinking Water Preferences Among Tertiary Students in a Ghanaian University
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64712/ghajet.v14i3.794Keywords:
Drinking water preference, water sources, safety, tertiary students, GhanaAbstract
Access to safe drinking water in Africa is a serious public health concern, and it is relevant for attaining SDG 6.1. Among university students in Ghana, determinants of drinking water source preferences remain understudied despite their distinct residential, financial, and institutional contexts. Underpinned by Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour, which links perceived behavioural control, attitude, and subjective norms to water choice, this study examined the determinants of drinking water source preference among students of the University of Education, Winneba, using a sample of 400 students selected via stratified sampling from halls of residence and off-campus hostels during the second semester of the 2022/2023 Academic Year. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and analysis employed descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression. Key findings indicate that sachet water was students’ most preferred source (OR?= 7.988; p = 0.005 for perceived healthiness), primarily due to perceived safety, even though piped water was most available. Reliability perceptions (OR?= 0.099; p = 0.002 for pipe-borne water) and financial responsibility were also significant predictors. The study found no significant relationship between place of residence and drinking water preference. The study recommends that the University management and hostel owners install water storage infrastructure and filtration systems, conduct regular water quality testing, and subsidise the cost of safe water access for students. The findings represent the water situation as of the 2022 data collection period and should be read with that temporal context in mind.References
Abbam, A., & Carsamer, E. (2017). Household choice of safe drinking water in Ghana. Ghanaian Journal of Economics, 5(1), 81-95.
Agyemang, K. K., Odame, P. K., Amoako-Sakyi, R. O., Mensah, E. A., Abane, A. M., Obilie, R., Mensah, E. A., & Abane, A. M. (2023). Perception of commuter rail transit riders/users of train services on the Accra-Nsawam Corridor. Urban, Planning and Transport Research, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/21650020.2023.2204920
Ahiabor, W. K., & Donkor, E. S. (2025). Microbial safety of sachet water in Ghana: A systematic review. Environmental Health Insights, 19, 11786302241307830.
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behaviour. Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211.
Aidoo, E. N., Owusu-Ansah, E. D., & Biney, I. (2019). Exploring drinking water preferences in rural and peri-urban communities of Ghana. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(6), 10-46.
Appiah-Effah, E., Ahenkorah, E. N., Duku, G. A., & Nyarko, K. B. (2021). Domestic drinking water management: Quality assessment in Oforikrom municipality, Ghana. Science Progress, 104(3), 00368504211035997.
Aryeetey, G. C., Agyei-Baffour, P., Dzomeku, M., Adjei, G. O., Agyemang, S. A., & Debrah, E. K. (2020). Water supply and demand management in Ghana: The case of bottled water consumption among tertiary students. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 10(2), 284-295.
Aslan, A., Rochani, H., Oyibo, O., Dotherow, J. E., Anderson, K. W., Beslin, C., & Afriyie-Gyawu, E. (2020). Sources of microbiological contamination in sachet water from Ghana. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 10(2), 202-208.
Babbie, E. R. (2020). The practice of social research. Cengage Au.
Biswas, A., Mukherjee, S., Sultana, M., & Roy, S. (2020). Safe drinking water and its determinants in low-income and middle-income countries: A systematic review of cross-sectional studies. BMJ Open, 10(3), e032497.
Boateng, D., Yawson, D. O., & Turkson, P. K. (2019). Consumption of bottled water among university students in Ghana: Implications for public health. Public Health in Practice, 1, 100002.
Bonda, C. (2025). The role of hydration in neurological function: how water impacts brain health. Retrieved from https://lonestarneurology.net/others/the-role-of-hydration-in-neurological-function-how-water-impacts-brain-health.
Chard, A. N., Trinies, V., Edmonds, C. J., Sogore, A., & Freeman, M. C. (2019). The impact of water consumption on hydration and cognition among schoolchildren: Methods and results from a crossover trial in rural Mali. Plos One, 14(1), e0210568.
Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling techniques (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Díez, J. R., Antigüedad, I., Agirre, E., & Rico, A. (2018). Perceptions and consumption of bottled water at the University of the Basque Country: Showcasing tap water as the real alternative towards a water-sustainable university. Sustainability, 10(10), 31-34.
Effutu Municipal Assembly (n.d.). Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) under an agenda for jobs: Creating prosperity and equal opportunity for all 2018-2022. Retrieved from https://ndpc.gov.gh/media/Effutu.pdf
Eshun, E. C. (2023). Beyond the household: Embodied experiences and well-being implications of water insecurity in an urban Ghanaian girls’ boarding school. Unpublished master’s thesis, Kent State University.
Etale, A., Jobin, M., & Siegrist, M. (2018). Tap versus bottled water consumption: The influence of social norms, affect and image on consumer choice. Appetite, 121, 138-146.
Ezeh, A., Oyebode, O., Satterthwaite, D., Chen, Y. F., Ndugwa, R., Sartori, J., & Lilford, R. J. (2018). The history, geography, and sociology of slums and the health problems of people who live in slums. The Lancet, 392(10158), 2223-2234.
Francis, M. R., Nagarajan, G., Sarkar, R., Mohan, V. R., Kang, G., & Balraj, V. (2015). Perception of drinking water safety and factors influencing acceptance and sustainability of a water quality intervention in rural southern India. BMC Public Health, 15, 1-9.
Ghana Statistical Services (2022). Ghana Population and Housing Census 2021. Accra: General Report.
Graydon, R. C., Gonzalez, P. A., Laureano-Rosario, A. E., & Pradieu, G. R. (2019). Bottled water versus tap water: Risk perceptions and drinking water choices at the University of South Florida. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 20(4), 654-674.
Kooy, M., & Furlong, K. (2020). Explanations and implications of bottled water trends across disciplines: Politics, piped water and consumer preferences. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 7(4), 13-45.
Kumpel, E., MacLeod, C., Stuart, K., Cock-Esteb, A., Khush, R., & Peletz, R. (2020). From data to decisions: understanding information flows within regulatory water quality monitoring programs. NPJ Clean Water, 3(1), 38-45.
Kyeremeh, S., Adu-Boahen, K., & Addai, M. O. (2023). Economic evaluation of groundwater resource in the Effutu Municipality: An application of the Gisser-Sanchez effect. Heliyon, 9(6), 45-67.
Levin, K. A. (2006). Study design III: Cross-sectional studies. Evidence-based dentistry, 7(1), 24-25.
Lopes, J. V. (2023). Water diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa: State of play and outlook. XI Congress of the Portuguese Political Science Association.
Mahmood, R., Hassan, N., Chamseddine, A., Rangarajan, R., & Yassoub, R. (2024). Examining drinking water preferences among university students: A comparative assessment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(10), 12-35.
Moulds, S., Chan, A. C., Tetteh, J. D., Bixby, H., Owusu, G., Agyei-Mensah, S., & Templeton, M. R. (2022). Sachet water in Ghana: A spatiotemporal analysis of the recent upward trend in consumption and its relationship with changing household characteristics, 2010–2017. PloS one, 17(5), e0265167.
Nketiah-Amponsah, E., Aidam, P. W., & Senadza, B. (2009). Socio-economic determinants of sources of drinking water: some insight from Ghana. In Conference on International Research on Food Security, Natural Resource Management and Rural Development, University of Hamburg.
Nunoo, J., Koomson, I., & Orkoh, E. (2018). Household deficiency in demand for water: Do water source and travel time matter? Global Social Welfare, 5, 179-187.
Nyenje, P. M., Foppen, J. W. A., Uhlenbrook, S., Kulabako, R., & Muwanga, A. (2019). Eutrophication and nutrient release in urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa - A review. Science of the Total Environment, 655, 621-635.
Odame, P. K., Sam, E. F., & Fiangor, A. (2024). Exploring the Nature of Road Safety Education in Basic Schools and School Children’s Travel Mode Options in Winneba, Ghana. Ghana Journal of Geography, 16(1), 128–161. https://doi.org/10.4314/gjg.v16i1.5
Okeke, G. C., & Ezeama, N. N. (2021). Perceptions and practices of university students towards drinking water sources and quality in South-East Nigeria. Heliyon, 7(5), e07379.
Otrubina, V. V., Heydari, Z., & Stillwell, A. S. (2025). Understanding water consumption in a semi-permanent residential context through university student housing showers. Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability, 5(1), 15-22.
Osei-Tutu, P., & Brenyah, R. C. (2019). An analysis of the factors influencing consumers’ choices of drinking water in Ghana. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(18), 18266-18274.
Qian, N. (2018). Bottled water or tap water? A comparative study of drinking water choices
on university campuses. Water, 10(1), 59-65.
Rajapakse, J., Otoo, M., & Danso, G. (2023). Progress in delivering SDG6: Safe water and sanitation. Cambridge Prisms: Water, 1, 6-15.
Sanitation and Water for All (2022). Ghana: Country overview. Retrieved from https://www.sanitationandwaterforall.org
Semey, M. D., Dotse-Gborgbortsi, W., Dzodzomenyo, M., & Wright, J. (2020). Characteristics of packaged water production facilities in Greater Accra, Ghana: Implications for water safety and associated environmental impacts. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 10(1), 146-156.
Setia, M. S. (2016). Methodology series module 3: Cross-sectional studies. Indian Journal of Dermatology, 61(3), 261-264.
Sohail, M. T., Ehsan, M., Riaz, S., Elkaeed, E. B., Awwad, N. S., & Ibrahium, H. A. (2022). Investigating the drinking water quality and associated health risks in the metropolis area of Pakistan. Frontiers in Materials, 9, 86-96.
Stoler, J., Brewis, A., Kangmennang, J., Keough, S. B., Pearson, A. L., Rosinger, A. Y., & Stevenson, E. G. (2021). Connecting the dots between climate change, household water insecurity, and migration. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 51, 36-41.
Stoler, J., Brewis, A., Harris, L. M., Wutich, A., Pearson, A. L., Rosinger, A. Y., ... & Young, S. L. (2019). Household water sharing: A missing link in international health. International Health, 11(3), 163-165.
Sultana, M., Biswas, A., Roy, S., & Mukherjee, S. (2018). Factors influencing the choice of drinking water source: Evidence from rural Bangladesh. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 190(8), 478-496.
Trinies, V., Chard, A. N., Mateo, T., & Freeman, M. C. (2016). Effects of water provision and hydration on cognitive function among primary-school pupils in Zambia: A randomised trial. PloS One, 11(3), e0150071.
World Health Organisation (2021). Water, sanitation and hygiene. London: World Health Organisation.
World Health Organisation & United Nations Children’s Fund. (2021). Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000–2020: Five years into the SDGs. Geneva: WHO and UNICEF.
World Health Organisation (2019). 1 in 3 people globally do not have access to safe drinking water – UNICEF, WHO. https://www.who.int/news/item/18-06-2019-1-in-3-people-globally-do-not-have-access-to-safe-drinking-water-unicef-who
Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An introductory analysis (2nd ed.). Harper and Row.
Zeleke, A. B., & Kraemer, A. (2018). Assessment of water, sanitation and hygiene practices and associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS home-based care services in Gondar city, Ethiopia. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 936-949.
