Evaluating the effectiveness of community-informed resource dissemination at increasing knowledge and testing rates among private well water owners in a statewide population

Abstract

Background: Threats to groundwater quality pose health risks to private well owners. Knowledge gaps are the main reason for low testing rates. Yet, few studies have examined the extent to which community-informed resource distribution increases knowledge and promotes private well testing.

Objectives: Evaluate the effectiveness of resource dissemination in promoting increased knowledge and private well testing.

Methods: Community-informed resources were developed that included 6 domains: regulation, testing recommendations, local resources, rationale for testing, state and federal resources, and mitigation actions. They were disseminated to n = 1423 Survey of the Health of Wisconsin participants. Participants completed evaluations at the time of dissemination and one year later. Logistic regression models examined knowledge and behavior changes because of the resource sheet by demographics.

Results: About 50% of respondents reported increased knowledge on most domains of the resource sheet; 80% reported increased knowledge on at least one domain. About 13% tested their well in the last year because of the resource sheet. Because of the resource sheet, seeking out information in the last year was 2.47 (95% CI: 1.04-5.87) times higher among those ≥65 years of age after adjustment, and private well testing was 5.46 (95% CI: 2.15-13.9) times higher among households with ≥$100,000 annual income.

Discussion: Direct information distribution to private well owners can benefit many rural residents and promote well testing. Findings from this study highlight outreach disparities to private well owners. Future work should identify unique barriers and motivators to testing, and preferred communication media, among low-income and younger private well-owners.

Keywords: Community-informed; Drinking water management; Private well; Resource management.

Fig. 1.

(a) Self-reported effectiveness of the resource sheet increasing knowledge or awareness of six key domains of private well water stewardship (n = 314), (b) the percent of participants (n = 314) that reported knowledge increase on at least 1, at least 3, and none of the six domains, (c) the domain or topic respondents (n = 279) reported as being most useful, and (d) preferred modalities (select all that apply) among respondents (n = 293) for receiving future information and resources about private well water testing.

Fig. 2.

Self-reported effectiveness of the resource sheet impacting participants’ behavior one year after receiving the initial resource sheet and evaluation (n = 229).