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Within-day drinking water consumption patterns: Results from a drinking water consumption survey

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 19, pages 382–395 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Data currently available on drinking water intakes do not support dietary exposure estimates for contaminants that have acute effects lasting less than 24 h. Realistic exposure estimates for these types of contaminants in drinking water require detailed information on amounts and time of consumption for each drinking occasion during a day. A nationwide water consumption survey was conducted to address how often, when, and how much water is consumed at specific times during the day. The survey was conducted in two waves, to represent two seasons, and the survey instrument consisted of 7-day water consumption diaries. Data on total daily amounts consumed, number of drinking occasions per day, amounts consumed per drinking occasion, and intervals between drinking occasions show larger between-subjects variation than within-subject variation. Statistically significant associations were also observed between drinking water consumption patterns and participants’ ages and sex and geographical regions in which these participants live. The number of drinking occasions on a given day varied from 0 to 19, with the majority of respondents reporting 6 or less drinking occasions per day. The average interval between drinking occasions varied from 1 to 17 h, with 57% of the person-days reporting average intervals at least 3 h apart. The mean amount consumed per drinking occasion showed little association with the number of drinking occasions and fluctuated between 8 and 10 oz. To our knowledge, this survey is the only source of information on within-day patterns (i.e., when and how much) of drinking water consumption for a nationally representative sample of the US population. The detailed water consumption data from this survey can be used to support less than 24-h dietary exposure estimates for contaminants in drinking water.

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Notes

  1. For access to the data from the survey, please contact DWCS Baver CropScience, Product Safety Management, P.O. Box 12014, RTP NC 27709-2014.

  2. The NET maintains a diary panel of 2000 households to track the consumption habits of the US population. For a 2-week period, panel households complete a daily diary, recording consumption information for all members in the household.

  3. We have no information from NPD relating to the potential overlap between the sample of households drawn from the HTI panel for our survey and the 2000 households included in the NET panel.

  4. All study participants who returned a completed diary were eligible for a drawing to win one of twenty-five $100 cash prizes

  5. For seven subjects, all the amount entries in most or all time intervals were filled, and for one subject the entries were recorded in a “diagonal” pattern, with amounts increasing by one category at each time interval.

  6. Contributed by 40 participants in the DWCS.

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Acknowledgements

These analyses were supported, in part, by Bayer CropScience.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exponent Inc., Chemical Regulation and Food Safety, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Leila Barraj, Carolyn Scrafford & Carrie Daniels

  2. Bayer CropScience, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA

    Jennifer Lantz & Gary Mihlan

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  1. Leila Barraj
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  2. Carolyn Scrafford
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  3. Jennifer Lantz
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  4. Carrie Daniels
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  5. Gary Mihlan
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Correspondence to Leila Barraj.

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Barraj, L., Scrafford, C., Lantz, J. et al. Within-day drinking water consumption patterns: Results from a drinking water consumption survey. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 19, 382–395 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2008.28

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