Primary Drinking Water Source and Acute Gastrointestinal Illness: New Mexico, 2007

The objectives of this study are to characterize New Mexico residents’ primary drinking water sources, consumption, and filter use by demographic characteristics, and to compare the 30-day prevalence of self-reported acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) by water sources. We analyzed data on 6,600 adults surveyed in the 2007 New Mexico Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We estimated population frequencies and evaluated associations using chi-square tests and weighted multivariable logistic regression modeling. Over half (55 %) of individuals used public water as their primary drinking water source, 18 % used private wells, and 27 % used bottled water. Overall, 43 % of residents said they filtered their home tap water, which did not differ significantly by source. Compared to public water users, private well users had key demographic differences, including age, marital status, race, and education. The overall 30-day prevalence of AGI was 15 %. In models adjusted for demographic characteristics and health status indicators, individuals using well water had a non-significantly decreased odds of reporting AGI and seeking medical attention for AGI (odds ratio (OR) 0.83, 95 % CI 0.65–1.06 and OR 0.85, 95 % CI 0.41–1.80). This baseline measure suggests private well users are not uniformly distributed throughout the New Mexico population. This information is useful when planning educational outreach to targeted populations. Our cross-sectional analyses did not reveal significant associations between primary drinking water source and AGI. Future epidemiologic studies including children and measuring the duration of exposure and water quality are needed to fully understand the health impacts of drinking untreated or undertreated water.