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Impact of Public Drinking-Water Stations on Hydration Practices among Outdoor Workers in Nigeria

Abstract

Adequate hydration is an important component of occupational health and wellbeing, particularly among outdoor workers who may experience prolonged exposure to heat, sunlight, and physically demanding activities. Outdoor workers in Nigeria, including construction workers, street traders, road workers, agricultural workers, sanitation workers, and other mobile workers, may face increased risk of dehydration and heat-related illness when safe drinking water is not readily available during working hours. Long distances from water sources, cost of drinking water, poor availability of convenient drinking-water facilities, concerns about water quality, and demanding work schedules may discourage regular water consumption. Public drinking-water stations provide an opportunity to improve convenient access to safe drinking water and encourage appropriate hydration practices among outdoor workers. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of public drinking-water stations on hydration practices among outdoor workers in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Ecological Model, and Social Cognitive Theory. The Health Belief Model explains how outdoor workers' perceptions of dehydration and heat-related illness, perceived severity, perceived benefits of adequate hydration, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and cues to action may influence hydration practices. The Social Ecological Model emphasizes the influence of individual, workplace, environmental, community, infrastructural, and socioeconomic factors on access to drinking water and hydration behaviour. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes observational learning, self-efficacy, reinforcement, social support, and environmental influences in shaping regular water-consumption practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how public drinking-water stations may influence hydration practices among outdoor workers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative analytical cross-sectional or quasi-experimental research design. The study population will comprise adult outdoor workers aged 18 years and above engaged in occupations involving substantial outdoor activity in selected urban, semi-urban, and rural communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, local government areas, communities, outdoor work locations, occupational groups, and eligible workers. Public drinking-water station availability will be assessed using indicators such as presence of drinking-water stations, number and distribution of stations, distance from work locations, operating hours, accessibility, water availability, water quality, cleanliness, maintenance, reliability of supply, affordability or free access, availability of cups or suitable drinking containers where applicable, and accessibility during working hours. Hydration practices will be assessed using indicators such as frequency of water consumption during working hours, regular fluid intake during hot conditions, carrying personal drinking water, use of available drinking-water stations, consumption of water before and during prolonged outdoor activities, recognition of thirst and dehydration symptoms, appropriate responses to signs of dehydration, and avoidance of prolonged periods without drinking water. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, standardized hydration-practice assessment tools, drinking-water station observation checklists, workplace environmental assessments, water-availability records where available, and pre-test and post-test assessments where a quasi-experimental intervention is adopted. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize workers' demographic and occupational characteristics, working conditions, heat exposure, access to drinking water, sources of hydration information, and hydration practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the impact of public drinking-water stations on hydration practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, hydration-practice scores before and after installation or improvement of public drinking-water stations may be compared with those of a comparison worksite or community to determine changes associated with improved access. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that public drinking-water stations have a significant positive impact on hydration practices among outdoor workers in Nigeria. Workers with convenient access to clean, safe, reliable, and affordable drinking water are expected to demonstrate better hydration practices than workers with limited access to suitable water sources. Improved accessibility may encourage more frequent water consumption during working hours and reduce the need for workers to travel long distances or spend additional money to obtain drinking water. Strategically located drinking-water stations may be particularly beneficial during periods of high temperature and prolonged physical activity. Access to reliable drinking water may also improve workers' awareness of the importance of hydration and encourage early responses to signs of dehydration. However, availability of water stations alone may not guarantee adequate hydration where water quality is poor, supply is unreliable, stations are poorly maintained, workers have limited knowledge of hydration, or work demands discourage regular drinking. The study therefore expects accessible, safe, reliable, well-maintained, and appropriately distributed public drinking-water stations, combined with hydration education and supportive occupational-health measures, to contribute significantly to improved hydration practices among outdoor workers in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on occupational health, hydration, heat-related illness prevention, drinking-water accessibility, outdoor workers, environmental health, workplace health promotion, climate-related health risks, water safety, health education, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Federal Ministry of Environment, state ministries of health and labour, local government authorities, occupational health practitioners, employers, worker associations, environmental health officers, water and sanitation agencies, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for reducing heat-related health risks among outdoor workers. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for increasing access to public drinking-water stations, improving water quality and maintenance systems, strategically locating facilities near outdoor work areas, strengthening hydration education, integrating drinking-water access into occupational-health programmes, and developing sustainable environmental and workplace interventions that promote adequate hydration among outdoor workers across Nigeria.

Keywords: Public drinking-water stations, hydration practices, outdoor workers, drinking-water accessibility, occupational health, dehydration prevention, heat-related illness, workplace health promotion, water safety, environmental health, Nigeria, public health.