ArticleThe Pan African medical journal2018
Consumer perceptions and purchasing of packaged water products in Sierra Leone.
Article in The Pan African medical journal, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Assessment of heavy metal and trace element contamination in sachet water and regulatory gaps in Lagos Nigeria.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Prevalence of Child Fever, Acute Respiratory Infection, and Diarrhea and Their Risk Factors in Sierra Leone.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAccess to improved sources of drinking water remains a complex challenge in Sierra Leone and other low and middle income countries. We aimed to qualitatively examine consumer perceptions and purchasing behaviors of packaged water products in Sierra Leone.
methodsWe conducted 25 focus groups with 178 consumers and petty traders of packaged water across the four geographic regions of Sierra Leone. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, and coded into themes. The Health Belief Model guided the thematic data analysis.
resultsPackaged water was broadly perceived as safe, accessible, and convenient. Participants who lived outside of the capital city, Freetown, were more likely to report cost as a barrier. Personal experiences with a brand moderated trust levels. Self-reported handling behaviors of PW products were generally unhygienic. There was widespread belief that packaged water keeps newborn babies healthy. Consumers desired a simple mechanism to better identify government approved PW products.
conclusionPerceived risks, benefits, barriers, self-efficacy, and reinforcing cues to action qualitatively influenced consumers' purchasing behavior of packaged water. Government regulators should provide consumers with reliable means to identify approved packaged water products. Consumer education efforts should include hygienic handling of packaged water products in order to minimize post-production contamination.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.