Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41617903›Full record

ArticleEnvironmental management2026

What Lies Below: A Theory of Planned Behavior Study of Septic System Owners' Practices in the Attoyac Bayou Watershed.

Emmanuel C Okolo, Audrey McCrary, Karissa Palmer, T Allen Berthold, Holli R Leggette

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environmental management, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Emmanuel C OkoloDepartment of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
Audrey McCraryTexas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife, College Station, TX, USA. audrey.mccrary@ag.tamu.edu.
Karissa PalmerDepartment of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
T Allen BertholdTexas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife, College Station, TX, USA.
Holli R LeggetteDepartment of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

As populations increase, water quality is increasingly affected by failing septic systems that introduce harmful fecal bacteria (e.g., E. coli) into watersheds. Septic system owners play a vital role in reducing the impact of such bacteria. Therefore, our study aimed to examine factors that influence septic system owners' decisions to improve septic system maintenance and protect watershed health in the Attoyac Bayou, located in East Texas. Using the theory of planned behavior, we addressed three research questions: (1) What are the characteristics of septic systems within the Attoyac Bayou watershed?; (2) How have septic system owners in the Attoyac Bayou watershed maintained their systems?; and (3) How do attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control predict septic system maintenance behaviors? We sent a questionnaire to septic system owners in the Attoyac Bayou watershed that included questions about septic system characteristics, maintenance histories, and owners' perceived norms, controls, attitudes, and intentions about septic systems. We found most septic systems in Attoyac Bayou are older conventional models with many owners lacking service contracts and reporting various times since the last pump out or inspection. While septic system owners generally demonstrate positive attitudes and confidence toward maintenance, our results revealed that attitude accounts for the greatest variance in maintenance behavior, with social norms and perceived behavioral control being less influential. Therefore, we recommend targeted messaging and interventions to reinforce positive attitudes, enhance perceived behavioral control, and promote consistent maintenance behaviors.

Indexed as

Water QualityHumansSurveys and QuestionnairesTexasTheory of Planned BehaviorWater MicrobiologyE. coli in rural water systemsEnvironmental public healthSeptic system maintenanceTheory of planned behaviorWatershed

Identifiers

PMID41617903
PMCPMC12858454

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.