Term of Award

Fall 2020

Degree Name

Doctor of Public Health in Public Health Leadership (Dr.P.H.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

College of Public Health

Committee Chair

Atin Adhikari

Committee Member 1

Samuel Opoku

Committee Member 2

JingJing Yin

Abstract

Background: Compromised hotel water supply lines by neglect or by physical and structural damage can lead to exposure of harmful pathogens to guests and staff. To reduce the risk of having contaminated water in a hotel plumbing system, some facilities may incorporate a water safety plan (WSP). WSPs are not mandatory for hotels in many US states, including the state of Georgia. As such, many hotel personnel are uninformed of WSPs and the precautions to take if their hotel water system is compromised. The purpose of this study was to identify hotel personnel’s knowledge and practices of WSPs through a survey incorporating the Health Belief Model (HBM). Methods: Data were collected from 59 hotels within Fulton County, Georgia, through a questionnaire, and questions were developed tailored to the HBM. Results: Significant associations were found between the perceived susceptibility of contracting a waterborne illness and WMP for hotel personnel as well as between cues to action and having a WMP in general linear models (pConclusions: Our study concluded that many key personnel are not aware of WSPs. Many hotel facilities do not have a plan in place, and some facilities are unaware of a current plan is in place. This study provides insight into the importance of WSP and the risk factors associated with microbial contamination in a hotel building’s plumbing system. Future research and potential law change should be emphasized due to employees’ and owners’ lack of knowledge and for the continuation of waterborne outbreaks in hotel facilities.

OCLC Number

1232109732

Research Data and Supplementary Material

Yes

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