Tap Water Consumption and Perceptions in United States Latinx Adults

Abstract

Insufficient water intake is associated with adverse health outcomes, including chronic disease prevalence and mortality. Adherence to Institute of Medicine total water intake (TWI) recommendations has been low in recent decades, and TWI has been consistently lower in Latinx adults compared with non-Hispanic (NH) white adults. While overall plain water intake is similar between Latinx and NH white adults, Latinx adults consistently consume significantly more bottled water and less tap water. The purpose of this review is to identify factors that may contribute to low water intake and low tap water intake, particularly in Latinx adults. The decision to drink water is complex and is influenced by a myriad of factors including context, environment, eating behaviors, geography, and beverage attributes. Plain water preferences appear to be related, in part, to perceptions of tap water safety as Latinx adults are significantly more likely to perceive their tap water as unsafe compared to NH white adults. Although recent investigations have not consistently or comprehensively evaluated the same factors, we have compiled their findings to describe the complex, interrelated determinants of tap water safety perceptions in Latinx adults. The present review proposes that perceptions are influenced by water insecurity, demographics, prior experiences, organoleptic (sensory) perceptions and availability and sources of information. Existing interventions designed to improve TWI primarily focus on improving access to water and/or educating individuals on the importance of hydration. However, this may not be sufficient in Latinx populations where water is not trusted. Future work should comprehensively assess these factors in Latinx samples and include validated plain water intake, TWI, and hydration status measures. A greater understanding of these relationships could inform interventions to improve TWI and hydration status in Latinx adults.

Daily Fluid Intake Behaviors and Associated Health Effects Among Australian and United States Populations

“…Data from the United States of America (US) indicate that sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is decreasing while water intake is increasing (Vieux et al, 2020 ), despite decreases in overall total FI in younger adults (Colburn and Kavouras, 2021 ); this may indicate a shift in FI behaviors related to fluid type or composition rather than volume consumption. This is in comparison with data from Australia (AUS) that highlighted a matched proportion of fluid volume (37%) from plain water and from other beverages, with the remainder being consumed via moisture from foods (Sui et al, 2016 ).…”

Characterization of Metallic Off-Flavors in Drinking Water: Health, Consumption, and Sensory Perception

“…Previous research has identified multiple factors such as flavor, safety risk perception, prior experience, and trust in water utilities as contributors to consumer’s perception of water quality, which ultimately influences their consumption and choice of water [ 47 , 48 , 82 , 83 , 84 ]. In this study, lower drinking water intake in older adults aged 60–84 years coincided with lower sensitivity to metallic flavor; however, reduced taste sensitivity may not necessarily be associated with reduced consumption levels as indicated by a recent study that reported tap water consumers showed similar taste sensitivity to chlorine but differed in their acceptability of chlorine flavor [ 85 ].…”

How providing a low-cost water filter pitcher led Latino parents to reduce sugar-sweetened beverages and increase their water intake: explanatory qualitative results from the Water Up!@Home intervention trial

“…These descriptions agree with our previous formative work in this community, where tap water in the USA was described as being ‘recycled from the toilet’, in contrast to drinking water in their home countries in Central America because they knew the water source ( 24 ) . Hispanic households in the USA are among the groups with the lowest use of water filtration systems; this makes sense in view of the theory that people who are seriously concerned about the safety and contamination of tap water consume more bottled water, whereas those who have water filtration systems are only primarily concerned with the taste and organoleptic qualities of drinking water ( 37 , 38 ) . This could partially explain why at baseline, participants in the current study only drank bottled water, and why there was persistent mistrust in drinking tap water even after participants had received a water filter.…”

“…This could partially explain why at baseline, participants in the current study only drank bottled water, and why there was persistent mistrust in drinking tap water even after participants had received a water filter. Mistrust in tap water has been attributed to a myriad of interrelated factors, including early life experiences with water insecurity, built and contextual environment and geography, among others ( 38 , 39 ) . Mistrust in tap water and the water systems can also reflect larger and historical dynamics of social inequities and mistrust of government institutions ( 40 ) .…”