INTRODUCTION:

Water is the essence of life and basic human rights, essential to all and for sustainable development.¹ It is known that drinking water is our most precious resource for our economy, our daily lives and to the health of our environment.¹ It is one of man’s most important assets; water is an essential factor in economic, social and cultural development of a community. It is not only a refreshing drink and an effective cleansing agent but also a vital medicine.² Faeces deposited near homes, contaminated drinking water, fish from polluted rivers and coastal waters, and agricultural produce fertilized with human waste are all health hazards. Water quantity is as important as water quality. The lack of water supply and sanitation is the primary reason why diseases transmitted via faces are so common in developing countries. The most important of these disease, diarrhoea and intestinal worm infestations, account for 10 percent of the total burden of disease in developing countries. The National Water Supply and Sanitation Programme was launched in 1954 by the govt. of India as part of the health plan to assist the states to provide adequate water supply and sanitation facilities in the entire country. The central govt. is supporting the efforts of the states in identifying problems villages through assistance under Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme. The Govt. of India launched the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade Programme in 1981. Tergets were set on coverage-100% coverage for water, both urban and rural, 80% for urban sanitation and 25% for rural sanitations^5.Water purification for human consumption purposes consists in the removal of different contaminants as chemicals (i.e., pollutants, toxic metals), biological contaminants (algae, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses), suspended solids, and gases. There are several methods used in the water purification process, which include:

1. Physical processes, such as filtration, sedimentation, or distillation

2. Biological processes, such as sand filters, active carbon

3. Chemical processes, such as flocculation, chlorination, the use of ultraviolet light.^7.

NEED FOR STUDY:

Water is nature’s most abundant resource which man has always been taking for granted. Studies indicate that less than 1% of the world’s water is available in the form of rivers, ponds and lakes for human use.Water is fundamental to life and a basic human right, vital for everyone and crucial for sustainable development. It is widely recognized as our most valuable resource-essential for our economy, daily living, and the well-being of our environment. But today, because of the rapid decline of ground water levels and over exploitation of the surface water there is acute shortage of fresh water. This serious situation can be rectified through on age old practice called rain water harvesting. A gastroenteritis outbreak associated with consumption of contaminated drinking water was observed in the exposed area. The use of grey water was banned with the exception of rainwater use for flushing toilets. A pilot project was done to prevent diarrhoea in a rural. The project is done to improve drinking water quality using gravity-fed, household based, ceramic water filters. It is done among 60 households in the community. Water filters eliminated thermos tolerant (faecal) coli forms from almost all intervention households and significantly reduced turbidity, thereby improving water aesthetics. A 2004 report on water technology conducted a study titled “Sanitation Assessment of Wastewater Treated by Stabilization Ponds for Potential Reuse in Agricultural Irrigation.” The four-month assessment of water samples revealed that 31% contained soil-transmitted helminth eggs, while fecal streptococci were reduced by an average of 99.64%. Additionally, the disinfected water was found to be free of Salmonella and parasites, making it safe for domestic use. These findings highlight the critical importance of proper water sanitation. The study concluded that water samples from all regularly used filters were free of thermos tolerant coliforms.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

“A descriptive study to assess the knowledge, and practices regarding domestic methods of water purification among mothers of school going children in selected rural area, Bangalore with a view to develop an informational booklet.”

OBJECTIVES:

1. To assess the level of knowledge of mothers regarding domestic methods of water purification.

2. To discuss the practices of mothers regarding domestic methods of water purification.

3. To find out the association between knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers regarding domestic methods of water purification with selected demographic variables.

4. To develop and distribute an informational booklet regarding domestic methods of water purification.

Hypothesis:

H₁ There is a significant difference between knowledge and practices among rural mothers regarding domestic methods of water purification.

H₂There is a significant association between knowledge and practices among rural mothers with selected demographic variables.

Research Methodology:

Non-experimental descriptive design was adapted for the mothers of school going children of age group 6-12 years of K. Narayanpura Bangalore.

Sample:

Sample size 60 mothers of school going children of age group 6-12 years of K. Narayanpura Bangalore. Non-Probability, purposive sampling technique was used for this study.

Section A: Description of sample characters of socio demographic variables.

It consists of 15 items related to demographic data of the subject such as age, educational status of mother, working status, occupation of spouse, number of children, age group of children, educational status of children, religion, type of family, monthly income of family, source of water, how long it takes to fill the water, water storage, method you usually use to make water safer, source of information.

Section B: Analysis of the level of knowledge of the mothers of school going children.

The level of knowledge of the mothers was majority 50% of mothers had poor knowledge regarding domestic methods of water purification, 45% had average knowledge and 5% has good knowledge regarding domestic methods of water purification.

Section C: Analysis of the level of practice of the mothers of school going children.

The level of practice of mothers was about 70 percent mothers of school going children were practicing the domestic methods of water purification at average level, 20% had the poor practice score and 10% had a good practice score for the domestic purification of water.

Section D: To find out the association between knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers regarding domestic methods of water purification with selected demographic variables.

The correlation between the level of knowledge score and practice score as -0.094 with the table value and P value 0.254 and 0.473 respectively. Which implies there was no level of significance between the knowledge and practice score regarding domestic methods of water purification among the mothers of school going children.

Ethical Considerations:

· Formal written permission for the research study was taken from Principal Florence College of Nursing, Bangalore.

· Formal written permission for the research study was taken from the PHC K. Narayanpura, Bangalore.

· Written consent was taken from the participants after explaining the aim of study.

· Confidentiality of all the respondents was maintained.

Major Findings of the Study:

· Majority subjects that are 47% (28) were in the age group 26-30 years.

· Majority 45% (27) mothers had educational status up to primary level.

· Majority 53% (32) mothers were working.

· Majority 47% (28) mother’s spouses were self-employee.

· Majority 63% (38) mothers had single child.

· Majority 52% (31) mothers had children in the age group 7-10 years.

· Majority 37% (22) mother’s children were in primary school.

· Majority the religion showed 50% (30) were Hindu.

· Majority 52% (31) mothers had joint family.

· Majority 50% (30) mothers had family income 20001-30000.

· Majority 77% (46) mothers had piped connections.

· Majority 87% (52) mothers take 15-30 mins to fill water.

· Majority 53% (32) mothers had large drum for water storage

· Majority 53% (32) used Boiling to make water safer.

· Majority 48% (29) had Mass media as source of information.

Findings related to knowledge regarding domestic methods of water purification.

· Majority 50% of mothers had poor knowledge regarding domestic methods of water purification, 45% had average knowledge and 5% has good knowledge regarding domestic methods of water purification.

· Mean and standard deviation for the level of knowledge score of mothers of school going children regarding domestic methods of purification was 7.75 and 2.880 respectively.

· Majority 70 percent mothers of school going children were practicing the domestic methods of water purification at average level, 20% had the poor practice score and 10% had a good practice score for the domestic purification of water.

· Mean and SD score for the practice of mothers of school going children regarding the domestic methods of water purification is 4.72 and 1.451 respectively.

Findings related to the association between knowledge score and demographic variables:

The Chi-square value shows that there is significance association between the score level and religion and source of information as demographic variables. The calculated chi-square values were more than the table value at the 0.05 level of significance.

There is no significance association between the level of scores and other demographic variables like age, educational status of mother and children, occupation of spouse, working status of women, type of family, source of water, time to fill the water, and methods of water purification. The calculated chi-square values were less than the table value at the 0.05 level of significance.

Section A: Analysis of the level of knowledge of the mothers of school going children.

Table 1 showing knowledge score of mothers of school going children regarding domestic methods of water purification

Knowledge Score
Category Score	Percentage	Frequency
GOOD	5.0%	3
AVERAGE	45.0%	27
POOR	50.0%	30
Maximum Score=21 Minimum Score=0

Table 1 depicts that majority 50% of mothers had poor knowledge regarding domestic methods of water purification, 45% had average knowledge and 5% has good knowledge regarding domestic methods of water purification.

Figure No 1: Bar diagram showing Mean and SD for knowledge score.

Figure 1- depicts that mean and standard deviation for the level of knowledge score of mothers of school going children regarding domestic methods of purification was 7.75 and 2.880 respectively.

Section B: Analysis of the level of practice of the mothers of school going children.

Table 2: showing the level of practice score of mothers of school going children.

Practice Score
Category Score	Percentage	Frequency
Good (7-10)	10.0%	6
Average (4-6)	70.0%	42
Poor (0-3)	20.0%	12
Maximum Score=10 Minimum Score=0

Table 2: depicts that 70 percent mothers of school going children were practicing the domestic methods of water purification at average level, 20% had the poor practice score and 10% had a good practice score for the domestic purification of water.

Figure No 2: Diagram showing mean and Sd score for the level of practice of mothers of school going children.

It shows that mean and SD score for the practice of mothers of school going children regarding the domestic methods of water purification is 4.72 and 1.451 respectively.

Section C: To find out the association between knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers regarding domestic methods of water purification with selected demographic variables.

Table No 3: Correlation between the level of knowledge score and practice score.

Pearson's Correlation	Pair1
	Knowledge Score	Practice Score
Mean	7.75	4.72
SD	2.880	1.451
N	60
Correlation	-0.094
Table Value	0.254
P Value	0.473
Result	Not significant

Table 3: depicts the correlation between the level of knowledge score and practice score as -0.094 with the table value and P value 0.254 and 0.473 respectively. Which implies there was no level of significance between the knowledge and practice score regarding domestic methods of water purification among the mothers of school going children.

CONCLUSION:

Water is the vital for the development and proper functioning of the body, so it is important to drink water regularly, it is recommended to consume 6 to 8 glasses throughout the day. Let’s remember that our body is made up of 70% water, therefore it is one of the things we need to live healthily. However, not all water has the optimal quality for consumption, so it is essential to carry out the water purification process by which bacteria and other contaminants are eliminated, and the final result is a pure, quality, healthy liquid safe for consumption.

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Received on 25.06.2025 Revised on 24.07.2025

Accepted on 18.08.2025 Published on 27.10.2025

Available online from November 08, 2025

Int. J. Nursing Education and Research. 2025;13(4):216-220.

DOI: 10.52711/2454-2660.2025.00044

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