Table 1.
Household characteristics and water-related exposures of persons in counties affected by water service interruptions, Alabama, 2010 (N = 470)
| N (%)* | |
|---|---|
| Household size, mean (95% CI) | 2·8 (2·6–2·9) |
| Household includes children aged <5 yr | 67 (13·4) |
| Household includes seniors aged ⩾65 yr | 136 (29·2) |
| Dwelling type | |
| House | 294 (65·9) |
| Mobile home | 130 (22·6) |
| Apartment | 46 (11·6) |
| Normally drink tap water | 340 (70·2) |
| Household has a private well | 18 (3·3) |
| Water service during emergency of January, 2010 | |
| Water service interruption | |
| Loss of service and loss of pressure | 185 (31·1) |
| Loss of service only | 57 (10·4) |
| Loss of pressure only | 102 (22·7) |
| No loss of service or pressure | 126 (35·9) |
| Loss of service | |
| Median, days (range) | 1 (0–30) |
| None | 229 (59·0) |
| <7 days | 130 (23·4) |
| ⩾7 days | 111 (17·7) |
| Loss of pressure | |
| Median, days (range) | 1 (0–45) |
| None | 183 (47·0) |
| 1–2 days | 146 (28·7) |
| 3–6 days | 83 (15·3) |
| ⩾7 days | 53 (8·9) |
| Experienced burst pipes | 124 (23·3) |
| Tap water access and use | |
| Unaffected household (did not report low pressure or service interruption) | 126 (35·9) |
| Affected household, non-potable use of tap water only | 49 (9·3) |
| Affected household, used boiled tap water for potable purposes† | 25 (4·4) |
| Affected household, use unboiled tap water for potable purposes† | 109 (23·2) |
| Did not report obtaining tap water | 161 (27·2) |
CI, Confidence interval.
*
Estimates are weighted by inverse of sampling probability, adjusted for non-response.
†
Potable purposes defined as drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, or preparing infant formula; regardless of treatment. Some category totals do not equal 100% due to rounding.