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Table 2 E. coli contamination of irrigation water and farm soil

From: A faecal exposure assessment of farm workers in Accra, Ghana: a cross sectional study

Water quality

N

Median

IQR***

P1

 E. coli (Log10/100 ml)

  Dry season

80

5.37

3.61, 6.27

0.35

  Rainy season

80

5.73

3.48, 6.61

 Water sources

  Drain water

36

6.61

5.93, 6.81

<0.001

  Dug-out

41

3.78

3.00, 5.69

  Piped water

3

2.65

2.65, 3.30

 Proximity to garbage

  ≤3 m

59

5.90

3.70, 6.72

0.02

  >3 m

21

4.57

3.00, 5.79

Farm soil parameter

N

Mean (SD*)

95 % CI**

P2

 E. coli(Log10/g)

  Dry season

83

2.25 (0.93)

2.05, 2.46

0.93

  Rainy season

80

2.24 (0.92)

2.04, 2.45

 With manure (both seasons)

  Yes

128

2.34 (0.89)

2.19, 2.50

0.01

  No

33

1.90 (0.94)

1.57, 2.23

 Irrigated with:

  Drain water

36

2.84 (0.61)

2.63, 3.04

<0.001

  Dug-out

41

1.79 (0.86)

1.52, 2.06

  Piped water

3

1.27 (0.53)

−0.06, 2.59

 When irrigated

  ≤1 day

32

2.58 (0.90)

2.26, 2.91

0.01

  Between 1 day – 2 days

13

2.11 (0.83)

1.61, 2.61

  >2 days

35

1.98 (0.90)

1.67, 2.29

Multivariable analysis

Exposure

N

Change in mean

95 % CI**

P3

 Irrigation water

160

0.41

0.30, 0.52

<0.001

 Manure

163

0.23

−0.11, 0.57

0.03

 Seasonality

160

0.97

0.11, 1.85

0.05

 Season #irrigation water

160

−0.20

−0.36, -0.04

<0.001

  1. SD* standard deviation
  2. 95 % CI** 95 % confidence interval
  3. IQR*** = Interquartile range
  4. P1, p-value calculated using Mann–Whitney test or Kruskal-Wallis test for irrigation water quality. P2, p-value calculated using t-test and Anova for farm soil quality
  5. P3, p-value calculated using likelihood ratio test