Water sources and educational attainment in Colombian adults: evidence from the national nutritional survey
Abstract Background Academic achievement is essential to people’s individual and social development by enhancing opportunities for significant personal achievement throughout life. Exposure to toxic agents due to poor water quality may negatively influence neurodevelopment in children and adolescent...
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22577-8 |
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| author | Victor Florez-Garcia Javith Torres-Saballeth Rafael Tuesca-Molina Jorge Acosta-Reyes Edwin Guevara-Romero Natalia Nohora Esmeralda Santacruz-Salas Tania Acosta-Vergara |
| author_facet | Victor Florez-Garcia Javith Torres-Saballeth Rafael Tuesca-Molina Jorge Acosta-Reyes Edwin Guevara-Romero Natalia Nohora Esmeralda Santacruz-Salas Tania Acosta-Vergara |
| author_sort | Victor Florez-Garcia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Academic achievement is essential to people’s individual and social development by enhancing opportunities for significant personal achievement throughout life. Exposure to toxic agents due to poor water quality may negatively influence neurodevelopment in children and adolescents into adulthood. Objective We aimed to estimate the association between the type of water for drinking purposes and academic achievements in Colombian adults. Methods We designed a cross-sectional study based on the National Survey of Nutritional Situation in Colombia (Encuesta Nacional de la Situación Nutricional en Colombia -ENSIN-) 2015. Academic achievement in our study was classified as less than complete primary school (0–4 years), between complete primary and incomplete secondary (5–10 years), between complete secondary and incomplete higher education (11–15 years), and complete higher education and more (16–24 years). We utilized adjusted ordinal logistic regression to estimate betas (β’s) and Odds Ratio [OR] with 95% confidence intervals [95%CI]. Results After adjusting for potential confounders, we report an inverse association between consumption of untreated water and academic attainments, where individuals who drink surface water [β: -0.625; 95%CI: -0.629, -0.620], or groundwater [β: -0.368; 95%CI: -0.372, -0.364] were less likely to achieve higher educational levels compared to those consuming treated water. This pattern was similar across the country when disaggregated by region. Conclusion We found that people with lower levels of education are more likely to consume untreated water in Colombia. Our results encourage improving access to treated water to the population with an emphasis on rural communities and the Atlantic region. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b88c45b21cfd4fc2826bb3854b91c3f4 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-b88c45b21cfd4fc2826bb3854b91c3f42025-08-20T02:16:59ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-04-0125111210.1186/s12889-025-22577-8Water sources and educational attainment in Colombian adults: evidence from the national nutritional surveyVictor Florez-Garcia0Javith Torres-Saballeth1Rafael Tuesca-Molina2Jorge Acosta-Reyes3Edwin Guevara-Romero4Natalia Nohora5Esmeralda Santacruz-Salas6Tania Acosta-Vergara7Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of IllinoisDepartment of Public Health, Universidad del NorteDepartment of Public Health, Universidad del NorteDepartment of Public Health, Universidad del NorteJoseph J. Zilber College of Public Health, University of WisconsinRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São PauloFaculty of Physiotherapy and Nursing of Toledo, Universidad de Castilla-La ManchaDepartment of Public Health, Universidad del NorteAbstract Background Academic achievement is essential to people’s individual and social development by enhancing opportunities for significant personal achievement throughout life. Exposure to toxic agents due to poor water quality may negatively influence neurodevelopment in children and adolescents into adulthood. Objective We aimed to estimate the association between the type of water for drinking purposes and academic achievements in Colombian adults. Methods We designed a cross-sectional study based on the National Survey of Nutritional Situation in Colombia (Encuesta Nacional de la Situación Nutricional en Colombia -ENSIN-) 2015. Academic achievement in our study was classified as less than complete primary school (0–4 years), between complete primary and incomplete secondary (5–10 years), between complete secondary and incomplete higher education (11–15 years), and complete higher education and more (16–24 years). We utilized adjusted ordinal logistic regression to estimate betas (β’s) and Odds Ratio [OR] with 95% confidence intervals [95%CI]. Results After adjusting for potential confounders, we report an inverse association between consumption of untreated water and academic attainments, where individuals who drink surface water [β: -0.625; 95%CI: -0.629, -0.620], or groundwater [β: -0.368; 95%CI: -0.372, -0.364] were less likely to achieve higher educational levels compared to those consuming treated water. This pattern was similar across the country when disaggregated by region. Conclusion We found that people with lower levels of education are more likely to consume untreated water in Colombia. Our results encourage improving access to treated water to the population with an emphasis on rural communities and the Atlantic region.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22577-8Water qualityAcademic achievementPublic healthEpidemiologyColombia |
| spellingShingle | Victor Florez-Garcia Javith Torres-Saballeth Rafael Tuesca-Molina Jorge Acosta-Reyes Edwin Guevara-Romero Natalia Nohora Esmeralda Santacruz-Salas Tania Acosta-Vergara Water sources and educational attainment in Colombian adults: evidence from the national nutritional survey BMC Public Health Water quality Academic achievement Public health Epidemiology Colombia |
| title | Water sources and educational attainment in Colombian adults: evidence from the national nutritional survey |
| title_full | Water sources and educational attainment in Colombian adults: evidence from the national nutritional survey |
| title_fullStr | Water sources and educational attainment in Colombian adults: evidence from the national nutritional survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Water sources and educational attainment in Colombian adults: evidence from the national nutritional survey |
| title_short | Water sources and educational attainment in Colombian adults: evidence from the national nutritional survey |
| title_sort | water sources and educational attainment in colombian adults evidence from the national nutritional survey |
| topic | Water quality Academic achievement Public health Epidemiology Colombia |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22577-8 |
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