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Volume 10, N03-2026 >
Microbial contamination of personal reusable water bottles and associated factors among students
Microbial contamination of personal reusable water bottles and associated factors among students
- Code : SKPT_26_121_E
- Publish date : 28/10/2026
- Page : 1-13
- Author : Le Thi Ngoc Anh
- View : ( 149 )
Objectives: To determine the prevalence and level of microbial contamination in personal reusable water bottles among university students and to analyse associations with bottle characteristics, hygiene practices and water source.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Van Lang University from April to June 2026. A total of 96 undergraduate students were invited to participate in the study; convenience sampling was used for data collection. Swabs of the internal bottle surfaces were cultured on Blood Agar, MacConkey Agar and Sabouraud Dextrose Agar; organisms were classified presumptively by colony morphology and Gram staining.
Results: The overall microbial contamination rate was 98.0% (95% CI 92.9–99.4); 81.6% of samples had a high microbial density (>300 colonies per swab), with presumptive Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi detected in 85.7%, 73.5% and 46.9% of samples respectively. None of the eleven factors examined was significantly associated with contamination status; the 95% CI for every risk difference (RD) included zero (−5.5 to +5.9 percentage points). Scratched or worn bottles and non-daily washing showed non-significant trends towards higher microbial density (p = 0.090 and p = 0.063).
Conclusion: Microbial contamination of students’ personal water bottles was highly prevalent and of high density, with presumptive fungi in nearly half of the bottles. With only two uncontaminated bottles, the study had little power to detect subgroup differences, and the absence of significant associations should not be read as evidence that these factors are unimportant.
- DOI : https://doi.org/10.38148/JHDS.103E.SKPT26-121_E
- Topics : Environment healthy
- Type of article : Original papers
- Specialized : Medical
- Contact : Nguyen Minh Son
- Email : son.nm@vlu.edu.vn
- Address : Van Lang University
