Evaluation of knowledge and attitude of Kerman residents about the usage of bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes

Use of bottled water for drinking and cooking purposes is common in many communities, particularly in places where there is no water of good quality. This type of water supply is an appropriate alternative in prevention of much investment in full-scaled water treatment and dual water distribution system. In Iran, where water is considered as a serious challenge, use of bottled water can be constructive. In this investigation a questionnaire considered of 17 questions was designed and distributed among different classes of Kerman community (N=500) selected by random cluster method in order to evaluate their level of knowledge and attitude about the usage of bottled water. According to the results 45% of the respondents had poor knowledge, 38.8% average, and only 16.2% had a high level of knowledge about the usage of bottled water. Attitudes of the respondents to the use of bottled water were positive, but the market price of the available bottles as well as authorities’ motive for promoting the use of bottled water were questioned by the respondents. It is necessary to take proper measure in order to improve peoples’ level knowledge in this respect, and to encourage people for using bottled water by lowering the price.