{
  "abstract": "In low-resource settings, drinking-water safety decisions are frequently shaped by subjective perceptions rather than objective contamination data, yet this correspondence is poorly characterized. This cross-sectional study (n = 425) in Nadowli-Kaleo District, Upper West Region, Ghana examined concordance between perceived drinking-water quality and field-observed sanitary contamination risk, together with socioeconomic determinants of risk appraisal calibration. Perceived quality was rated on a 1–5 Likert scale; field-observed sanitary contamination risk was aggregated into a 0–4 ordinal risk index from a structured observation checklist (a proxy for, not a direct microbiological measure of, water quality), reverse-scaled, with perceptions classified as calibrated when |gap| ≤ 0.5. Perceived quality was strongly and inversely associated with observed contamination risk (Spearman’s ρ = −0.780; p < 0.001), indicating that household perceptions tracked broad contamination-risk gradients well. However, agreement at the individual household level was weaker: only 49.4% of households met the calibration criterion (mean gap = −0.86) under our primary threshold, and this proportion was sensitive to the threshold chosen (ranging from 26.1% at ±0.3 to 63.1% at ±1.0). Educational attainment showed no reliable association with calibration accuracy (no formal education 55.5%; secondary 44.1%; postgraduate 12.5%, n = 8; Pearson χ²(4) = 7.24, p = 0.124), and a quadratic logistic model provided no evidence of a non-linear (inverted-U) relationship (quadratic OR = 0.94; p = 0.462); income and residence duration were likewise not significant predictors. These findings suggest that perception-based metrics alone may be insufficient for individual-level risk assessment, and that common socioeconomic proxies do not reliably identify well-calibrated households, calling for objective monitoring and tailored risk communication to advance SDG 6.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Environment and Resource Studies, Faculty of Integrated Development Studies, University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), XW-1147-8901, Bamahu-Wa, Ghana"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Abdullah Alhassan"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ziemah Boyeh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Abdul-Kadri Yahaya"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ft0jjgghrvmx9.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pwat.0000590",
  "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000590",
  "id": "ft0jjgghrvmx9",
  "issns": [
    "2767-3219"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000590",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3312|Risk Perception and Management"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive science/Cognitive psychology/Perception/Sensory perception"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Sensory perception"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Cognitive psychology/Perception/Sensory perception"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Psychological attitudes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Natural resources/Water resources"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Water quality"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Epidemiology/Medical risk factors"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Geographical locations/Africa/Ghana"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Storage and handling"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Psychology/Cognitive psychology/Perception/Sensory perception"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Psychology/Psychological attitudes"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Sociology/Education/Educational attainment"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7211945382",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/water/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000590&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-08",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ft0jjgghrvmx9.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pwat.0000590",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://journals.plos.org/water/article?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000590"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:epidemiology",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Perceived drinking-water safety and observed contamination risk: Evidence of an imperfect calibration gradient in rural Ghana",
  "title_text": "Perceived drinking-water safety and observed contamination risk: Evidence of an imperfect calibration gradient in rural Ghana",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ft0jjgghrvmx9",
  "venue": "PLOS Water",
  "versions": []
}