Exploring Well Water Stewardship in Rural Ontario Communities Via a Mixed-Methods Approach: Implications For Drinking Water Consumers And Public Health Risks
Loading...
Authors
Lavallee, Sarah M.
Date
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Private well water , Awareness , Risk perception , Public Health , Ontario , Mixed methods
Alternative Title
Abstract
Private groundwater wells represent the primary source of household drinking water for at least 1.6 million individuals in the province of Ontario. In contrast to those who consume water from public (municipal) systems, private well users in Ontario are responsible for well water stewardship (i.e., protective actions), including source maintenance, treatment, and submitting samples for contaminant testing. Previous studies have reported low participation rates with respect to these actions, thus constituting a public health concern (e.g., contamination from agricultural run-off, septic tanks, etc.). The current thesis sought to classify private well owners in Ontario based on socio-cognitive factors, explore, and evaluate relationships between socio-cognitive factors (i.e., awareness, attitudes, perceptions, beliefs) and behaviours, and contextualize relationships between motivators and barriers to undertaking protective actions. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including a province-wide online survey (May to August 2018) and semi-structured interviews in two rural communities in southeastern Ontario (i.e., Town of Greater Napanee and Stone Mills Township) (March to June 2021). Survey data were used to quantify well owners’ awareness, perceptions, and behaviours, with two-step cluster analysis and binary logistic regression used to classify and profile the survey cohort based on cognitive factors. Thematic analysis of data from subsequent semi-structured interviews was employed to further elucidate initial quantitative results. Overall, 1140 survey respondents were included for quantitative analyses, and 40 semi-structured interviews (20 per community) were included for qualitative analyses. Survey findings illustrate that specific socio-cognitive and socio-demographic factors are significantly associated with user behaviours. Additionally, three distinct respondent clusters (i.e., socio-cognitive profiles) were identified based on two socio-cognitive factors (i.e., awareness and risk perception). Qualitative findings suggest complacency around well water quality and lack of risk perception are the main barriers to routine testing and/or treatment. Both quantitative and qualitative findings demonstrate that specific socio-cognitive and experiential factors are potential drivers of, and barriers to, undertaking protective actions, highlighting the need for tailored knowledge-translation initiatives and evidence-based tools. Results have crucial implications for risk communication and may be used to guide development of future public health interventions and stewardship tools to enhance protective actions among private well owners in Ontario and further afield.
Description
Citation
Publisher
License
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International