Water security means having stable access to available, acceptable, and safe drinking water, and it is key to supporting good nutrition and health. Families with low incomes, communities of color, and non-native English speakers are disproportionately affected by exposure to unsafe drinking water.
Case study briefs from this study highlight state and local programs and policies for home water quality testing, home well water treatment device installation, filter pitcher distribution, and lead service line replacement. Partnering with organizations with established relationships with families vulnerable to unsafe drinking water like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was a key program activity.
The lessons learned from these policies and programs can inform equity-based efforts to improve water security with a focus on young children in households experiencing low incomes.
This work was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (#76333) and in part by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U48-DP006376). The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of any funding agency.
About the Authors
Prepared by Cara Wilking, JD, independent legal consultant, Barnstable, Massachusetts; Emily Nink, MS, CPH, Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and Angie Cradock, ScD, MPE, Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Principal Investigator: Angie Cradock, ScD, MPE
Funder: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (#76333) and in part by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U48-DP006376)
Contact: Angie Cradock
Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Cradock AL, Barrett JL, Nink E, Wilking C. An economic evaluation of strategies to ensure safer drinking water in the homes of families with young children in select United States locations. Prev Med Reports. 2024 Feb;38(102588). doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102588. Epub 2024 Jan 3.
- Wilking C, Nink E, Cradock AL. How WIC Can Help Enhance Water Security for At-Risk Populations. J Acad Nutr Diet. 30 October 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2022.10.016
- Wilking C, Nink E, Cradock AL. Drinking Water and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Current Policy and Opportunities for Improvement. JPHMP. December 2021. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHH.0000000000001474
Executive Summary & Briefs
Individual files:
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- Safe Home Drinking Water: A Series of Six Case Study Briefs – Executive Summary
- New Jersey Private Well Testing Act
- New Hampshire & Vermont Private Well Testing Via Primary Care Clinics
- The NH Water Well-Ness Initiative to Protect Pregnant WIC Participants from Contaminants in Private Well Water
- Porterville, CA: Point-of-Use Filtration & Bottled Water Delivery Pilot Program to Protect Pregnant People and Infants from Nitrates in Private Well Water
- Cincinnati Enhanced Lead Program to Replace Lead Service Lines
- Denver Water Filter Program