A 32-item questionnaire concerning water consumption attitudes and behaviours was developed to assess
participants’ perceptions and habits. The questionnaire was originally created in English; a language instructor
translated it into Spanish, then a second Spanish-speaking individual translated it back into English. The two
English-language versions agreed nearly perfectly, providing evidence of the adequacy of the translation.
Because for some survey participants the items had to be rendered by local interpreters into a third language
(Quiche), wording was kept as simple as possible. The original questionnaire was pilot-tested among 8 residents
at the first data collection site. It was then determined that some of the items were redundant (e.g., where one's
friends collect water; whether all family members drink the same water) or not relevant (e.g., whether one
drinks different water when travelling; whether water consumption is regulated) to their drinking water habits.
The revised questionnaire, therefore, consisted of fourteen items, including demographic questions.