Adoption of Arsenic-Safe Drinking Water Practice in Rural Bangladesh: an Averting Behavior Model

The aim of this paper is to analyze the factors that influence adoption of safe drinking water practices in arsenic affected rural Bangladesh. In this study, households from two severely arsenic contaminated areas of Bangladesh were asked about their behavior and actions to reduce potential health risk associated with drinking the contaminated water. Based on averting measures undertaken by households to reduce potential health risk, the paper analyzes the factors that influence households’ decision to collect water from arsenic free sources using a binary logistic model. Among all explanatory factors included in the model, awareness of health consequences from drinking arsenic contaminated water and ownership characteristics of safe drinking water sources had the highest explanatory power. Households that are aware of negative health consequences of drinking arsenic contaminated water are more likely to adopt safe drinking water practices. Furthermore, places where safe drinking water option is owned by Government (GO) and/or Non-Government (NGO) organizations, households are more likely to collect water from arsenic free sources compared to places where available safe drinking water options are privately owned. The relevance of the explanatory variables in the estimated model suggests that effectiveness of ‘arsenic safe drinking water adoption campaign’ requires raising awareness about health risk associated with drinking arsenic contaminated water. As access to print media (like newspaper) is constrained by high level of illiteracy in the rural areas, radio and TV must play a more important role in publicizing negative health consequences of drinking arsenic-contaminated water.