Household drinking water safety among the population of Gaza Strip, Palestine: knowledge, attitudes, practices, and satisfaction

A descriptive cross-sectional study employing a structured questionnaire was employed to assess knowledge, attitude, practice, and satisfaction (KAPS) of Gaza's community on issues related to household drinking water safety. The results showed that of 1,857 household heads, 1,621 (87.3%) were males, with the majority (967, 52.1%) having a university educational level. Of surveyed households, 744 (40.1%) consisted of 5-7 persons and 885 (47.7%) of the households resided in refugee camps. Mean percentages for KAPS were 82 +/- 15.5%, 64.9 +/- 39.7%, 53.2 +/- 14.1%, and 37.3 +/- 26.56%, respectively. There were statistically significant associations between some sociodemographic variables and mean percentage of KAPS scores. Educational level was the only variable significantly associated (p < 0.05) with all mean KAPS scores. There was a significant positive linear correlation between knowledge-attitude (r = 0.362, p < 0.05), but a significant negative linear correlation between knowledge-practice (r = -0.070, p < 0.05) was also observed. Therefore, the Local Government Authority (LGA) should arrange community awareness campaigns on the importance of safety and hygiene measures of drinking water storage. Furthermore, and due to the poor financial capabilities of the LGA in Gaza, it is highly recommended that LGA contact relevant international donors in order to support programs aiming at improving household water supply.