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PubMed1990

Risk perceptions and food choice: an exploratory analysis of organic- versus conventional-produce buyers.

Consumer choice between organically (without pesticides) and conventionally grown produce is examined. Exploratory focus-group discussions and questionnaires (N = 43) suggest that individuals who purchase organically grown produce believe it is substantially less hazardous than the conventional alternative and are willing to pay significant premiums to obtain it (a median 50% above the cost of conventional produce). The value of risk reduction implied by this incremental willingness to pay is not high relative to estimates for other risks, since the perceived risk reduction is relatively large. Organic-produce consumers also appear more likely than conventional-produce consumers to mitigate other ingestion-related risks (e.g., contaminated drinking water) but less likely to use automobile seatbelts.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1996

Colorectal screening patterns and perceptions of risk among African-American users of a community health center.

This study investigated risk perceptions and screening patterns for colorectal cancer among predominately low-income African-Americans age 50 and older who used a community health center. The majority of respondents either rated their risk as below average (36%) or did not know their risk (37%) for colorectal cancer. Individuals who provided a risk estimate versus those who did not know their risk were younger and held more accurate beliefs about colorectal cancer. Attributions of perceived risk best distinguished respondents who evaluated their risk to be below average versus average and above average. Compared to respondents who could not explain their risk, those who provided psychological, personal action, and heredity causes were more likely to view their risk as below average than average or above average. In comparison to national norms, these subjects reported higher frequencies of ever having had a digital rectal exam (DRE, 90%), fecal occult blood test (FOBT, 75%) and sigmoidoscopy (SIG, 33%). Moreover, 63%, 53%, and 81% reported their most recent screening for DRE, FOBT, and SIG, respectively, in accordance with ACS and NCI recommended guidelines. However, a subsequent medical audit failed to confirm these self-reports. These results suggest that: 1) educational efforts are needed to enhance knowledge and accuracy of risk perceptions for colorectal cancer; 2) further studies on attributions of risk are needed that may prove useful for developing intervention programs, and 3) studies need to interpret self-report data for colorectal cancer with caution.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1995

Predictive testing for Huntington's disease: risk perception, reasons for testing and psychological profile of test applicants.

In the Center for Human Genetics in Leuven, predictive DNA-testing for Huntington's disease is available as a clinical service since November 1987, initially by DNA-linkage and since mid 1993 by direct mutation analysis. The multidisciplinary approach as well as the detailed test protocol are described. The present paper gives a sociodemographic description of the test applicants, their subjective evaluation of the risk and their motives for requesting the predictive test. Major attention is paid to the personality profile of the applicants who proceeded with testing. Psychometric testing revealed that this group of test applicants did not differ significantly from the general population for most characteristics and even had a number of more positive characteristics e.g. a higher ego-strength. The latter may reflect a self-selection of a more resourceful and emotionally healthier subgroup of at-risk persons. Nevertheless psychological evaluation also has identified a number of applicants with extremely high anxiety levels and other problems, who needed extra pretest and posttest counseling. The relatively high number of withdrawals from the test programme is another indication of the importance of adequate pretest counseling.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

AIDS knowledge and risk perception of cocaine and crack users in a national household survey.

Awareness of AIDS among cocaine and crack users has never been studied using national data representative of the U.S. household population. Data from the 1991 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed. Respondents who reported cocaine (n = 448) or crack use (n = 100) in the past year were compared with those who reported never using any form of cocaine (n = 17,259). AIDS knowledge, HIV testing, risk behavior, and perceived risk for HIV were outcomes studied. Over 96% of the drug users know the term HIV compared with 89% of the nonusers. A higher proportion of cocaine users reorganized the effectiveness of condoms compared with nonusers (93% vs. 84%). Over 96% of all groups knew the risk of sharing needles. Cocaine and crack users were more likely to have been tested for HIV (27% and 28%) compared with nonusers (19%), yet less than one third of those tested actually received HIV counseling. High-risk behavior was acknowledged by 22% of cocaine users and 33% of crack users. However, only 10% and 14% respectively considered themselves to be at increased risk for having or getting HIV. These data suggest that cocaine and crack users are knowledgeable regarding HIV/AIDS, however they are underestimating their real risk of infection with HIV.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The value of good quality drinking water to Canadians and the role of risk perceptions: a preliminary analysis.

Canadian municipal water utilities have had to face many difficulties in the past few years, not the least of which has been an erosion of consumer confidence in the safety of publicly supplied drinking water. This paper discusses how economic theory is used to develop a methodology for determining consumers' or society's preferences for better quality drinking water and how these preferences are expressed in the trade-offs made between money and two different types of risk reductions: mortality and morbidity. These trade-offs are observed by examining actual consumer behavior and/or in structured (hypothetical) market choices. The information gained can be used to structure more efficient water pricing schemes for municipal water utilities and to aid these utilities in their infrastructure investment decisions.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Smoking in a Saudi community: prevalance, influencing factors, and risk perception.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Smoking is a major preventable cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world, but little information is available about the prevalence of smoking in Saudi Arabia. This study determined the prevalence of and major factors influencing smoking in our community. METHODS: We used a questionnaire to determine smoking prevalence of males over age 12 attending a primary care clinic in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included items about factors influencing the decision to start smoking, attempts to stop smoking, and awareness of the risks of smoking. RESULTS: Of 634 subjects, 34.4% (218) were current smokers, 16.4% (104) were ex-smokers, and 49.2% (312) were nonsmokers. The most common (66%) reason for starting smoking was friends' influence. About 75% had thought of stopping smoking, and 55% had actually attempted to stop. The most common (34%) reason reportedforfailed attempts to stop smoking was lack of willpower Awareness regarding the harmful effects of smoking was high (97.2%). More than 80% thought that a special smoking clinic would be helpful for quitting smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking prevalence is high in our community in Saudi Arabia. Most of the smokers know that smoking is dangerous and want to quit smoking but fail to stop for various reasons. Interventions are needed to decrease the prevalence of smoking in Saudi Arabia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Radioactive contamination of wild mushrooms: a cross-cultural risk perception study.

The aim of the present work was to determine the public perception of radioactive contamination of wild mushrooms, to confront this perception with an expert opinion, and to determine those factors that are perceived differently by specialists and lay people. The Internet appeared to be a useful tool in attaining these goals by finding the appropriate people across the world. The statistically significant differences in the perception of various aspects of mushroom pollution were revealed between respondents from three world regions, which were differently affected by the Chernobyl accident. Moreover, the majority of people have demonstrated a considerable difference in the perception of the global contamination of the environment versus the pollution of their local counties. The socio-psychological explanations of data are given. In general, there is a steady consistency in the perception of factors, which may control the radioactive contamination of edible fungi, by the majority of respondents. However, experts (radioecologists) rank the factor of fungal species as an extremely important parameter, while other people perceive the factors of the distance from the source of the pollution and the time thereafter as the most important parameters. Such discrepancies between professional and unprofessional opinions are discussed and some recommendations for risk communications are presented.

Agaricales↗
PubMed1992

Micro-effects of language on risk perception in drug prescribing behavior.

The decision to prescribe neuroleptics for the treatment of psychosis involves a potentially tragic choice between, on the one hand, a probability of psychosis and a probability of side effects, such as tardive dyskinesia, on the other. In an experimental paradigm, we examined this decision process. We hypothesized that linguistic factors considered irrelevant under classical formulations of individual choice behavior would have a significant effect on this decision. All subjects were presented with a case vignette involving a potentially psychotic patient. Subjects were then asked what probability of tardive dyskinesia they would either "accept" or "risk" in order to prevent psychotic decompensation. In addition this factor was crossed with a contextual factor that varied the patient's age. The effect of "risk" versus "accept" language was evident in significantly different patterns of decision making across age groups. The data have important implications for clinical decision making, the elicitation of informed consent, and the directions that the courts have taken in malpractice and patient's rights cases.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Consumer perceptions of risk and required cost savings for generic prescription drugs.

OBJECTIVE: To examine consumer risk perceptions for generic prescription drugs used to treat different types of medical conditions, and to explore the relationship between risk perceptions and the amount of cost savings required before consumers would purchase the generic version of a prescription drug. DESIGN: Cross-sectional mail survey. SETTING: Metropolitan area in central Wisconsin. PARTICIPANTS: Random sample of 500 consumers age 18 and older. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Responses to 16 items on 8-page questionnaire. None. RESULTS: The response rate was 71.4%. The percentage of respondents who perceived that generic prescription drugs were riskier than brand name products varied from 14.2% to 53.8%, depending on the medical condition being treated. Significantly larger cost savings were required for consumers to purchase generic prescription drugs with higher perceived risk. CONCLUSION: Financial incentives to use generic prescription drugs may be successful, even for consumers who perceive generic drugs to be riskier than brand name prescription drugs. As the perceived level of risk increases, larger cost savings are required.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Egg phobia in retirement homes: health risk perceptions among elderly Chinese.

Studies pertaining to health promoting behavior in daily life have received scant attention among medical anthropologists. The present study addresses this issue by means of an empirical analysis of perceptions and behaviors concerning a daily food item -eggs. Data were collected via in-depth interviews as well as participant observation in four retirement homes-two in Los Angeles and two in Taipei, Taiwan. The results reveal that practices of egg-restriction are pervasive throughout the four homes. Cholesterol has become a commonly-discussed issue in the daily lives of the 203 residents interviewed, and many of them were found to be preoccupied with the risk involved in excess consumption (especially of egg yolks) and increased serum cholesterol levels. Four forces: health professionals, family members, peer groups and mass media play important roles in constructing egg-consumption behaviors among the elderly subjects. The cognitive, psychological and behavioral impact of health information on elderly subjects has been discussed herein. It may be argued that the 'egg issue' reflects a shift in previous health paradigm thinking due to the biomedicalization of health promotion among Chinese elderly.

Acculturation↗
PubMed2005

Risk perception and condom use among married or cohabiting couples in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

CONTEXT: Most HIV prevention efforts focus on premarital and extramarital sexual behavior, but in areas with high HIV prevalence the protective needs of married and cohabiting couples are just as great and often go unmet. Condom use by these couples is generally low, with resistance from men and cultural norms commonly cited as barriers to increased use. METHODS: A household survey was conducted in an urban and a rural area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in 1999-2000. From this survey, matched partners in 238 marital or cohabiting relationships were independently interviewed about condom use and attitudes toward condoms, knowledge of AIDS/HIV risk and self-efficacy in preventing HIV infection. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess relationships between condom use and selected demographic and HIV prevention characteristics. RESULTS: Although couples' knowledge of condoms and where to obtain them was very high, only 15% of men and 18% of women reported consistent or occasional use. The level of use was 8% and 11% among men and women, respectively, in rural, less educated couples, and 29% and 34% among men and women in urban, more educated couples. A majority of urban women had favorable attitudes toward condoms, and they also reported higher self-efficacy regarding HIV prevention than did rural women. A woman's perceived risk of HIV infection from her partner was the most powerful predictor of condom use (odds ratio, 4.0). CONCLUSIONS: The common belief that men's resistance to condom use within stable relationships cannot be overcome may be exaggerated. HIV prevention programs should address the reproductive health needs of these couples.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[AIDS risk perception and coping in adolescents].

The state of research on adolescent sexuality can indicate how to plan and carry out AIDS information campaigns. As research results on contraception have shown, an information campaign should aim at adolescents with lower capability to talk about their sexuality which can have a negative effect on protective behavior related to AIDS. On the other hand, the assumption that adolescents are more endangered to AIDS because of their frequent change of partners, cannot be confirmed. The seriousness of AIDS is classified by adolescents as being very high, whereas the personal threat of AIDS is more likely to be low. An infection is thought to be self-induced, consequently personal responsibility is emphasized. Sexual risk behavior varies depending upon age, family structure, sexual experience and norms of peer groups. The adolescents' first sexual experience is complicated by the threat of AIDS. Sex education is presented in school is viewed by adolescents to be an inappropriate forum for an AIDS information campaign.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2000

Risk perceptions among patients and their relatives regarding prostate cancer and its heredity.

We performed a qualitative study to examine how prostate cancer (PC) patients and their spouses and relatives take into account family history when considering susceptibility to PC. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants. All interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and content analyzed. Patients' and spouses' views concerning the seriousness of PC were different. Wives viewed PC as a serious disease because it has affected their marital relationships; patients found PC to be less serious because it can be treated. All participants viewed PC as a male disease that can be passed on from fathers to sons. Furthermore, participants were aware of PC clustering in their families. However, this awareness did not encourage (healthy) male relatives to seek early detection. Additionally, participants perceived age, high-fat diet, and less exercise as important risk factors, while socioeconomic status, ethnic origin and a family history of PC were viewed as less important. We recommend that health educators pay special attention to these findings when planning to teach patients, spouses and their relatives about PC, its heredity and risks. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (2000) 3, 176-185

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Magical contagion and AIDS risk perception in a college population.

This study examined whether common reactions to AIDS are consistent with operation of the "magical law of contagion," a traditional belief that describes the transfer of properties, whether moral or physical, harmful or beneficial, through contact. Three features of magical contagion, explored in previous work, were re-examined. These features sometimes contrast with microbial contamination as described by modern germ theory. They are: permanence of effects; dose-insensitivity; and potential for effects to act backwards (i.e., from recipient back onto source). A fourth characteristic, previously unaddressed, was also explored: "moral-germ conflation," i.e., the tendency to incompletely distinguish illness from evil. Three hundred and ninety-nine college students completed a survey assessing each feature with regard to AIDS-related scenarios. Also assessed was general AIDS knowledge. Subjects were very well-informed about AIDS, yet a significant subset showed "magical" features of thinking. Consistent with moral-germ conflation, degree of worry about getting AIDS was better predicted by guilt than by risk behaviors and knowledge that they are risky. Implications are discussed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2000

Environmental risk perception and well-being: effects of the landfill siting process in two southern Ontario communities.

In the context of siting (environmentally) noxious land uses, recent research suggests that the well-being of individuals and communities is impacted as much by the decision-making process as the outcome itself. The study results presented in this paper stem from an ongoing, two-stage quantitative/qualitative investigation of impacts on individual and community well-being associated with the environmental assessment process in Ontario, Canada. This research uses a parallel case-study design to investigate two proposed landfill sites in southern Ontario. Qualitative in-depth interviews (n = 36), conducted across a variety of stakeholder groups, were used to address the following objectives: to explore the nature of concerns experienced by individuals faced with a local landfill site proposal; to explore the effects of the siting process on individuals and communities; and to examine the coping strategies employed by individuals in response to impacts experienced. The work attempts to apply theories of risk society (as conceptualised by Beck and Giddens) at a community scale. In so doing, we build on the work of health geographers attempting to link the social and contextual with the medical. Overall, substantial impacts on individual and community well-being were reported across all stakeholder groups interviewed: these included stress, disempowerment, hostility and divisions within the community. The experience of psychosocial impacts and effectiveness of coping strategies is shaped by certain factors associated with the site and the siting process (including uncertainty and the perceived lack of meaningful participation). The links between risk, process and impacts are theorized using a conceptual framework which incorporates site and process factors, effects on daily life (e.g. feelings of losing control, mistrust), and Gidden's conception of 'ontological security'. These findings have implications for environmental decision-making, as they suggest a need to locate the delicate balance point between community involvement and an expedient decision-making process within variable community contexts.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2003

Characterizing Latino anglers' environmental risk perceptions, sport fish consumption, and advisory awareness.

Sport fish advisories for the Great Lakes states suggest limiting consumption of fish taken from the lakes and their tributaries because of chemical contamination. It appears, however, that minority anglers are less aware of the advisories and also consume greater amounts of sport fish than white anglers. We conducted focus groups in western New York with Latino anglers and partners of anglers to explore these patterns. Analysis revealed that older anglers believed local waters were of good quality and that it was safe to consume fish taken from them. They based their evaluation of both water and fish primarily on visual inspection. In contrast, younger Latinos believed that area waters were highly polluted because of dumping of waste from local industries. They fished away from urban areas in an effort to find cleaner, more swiftly moving waters. They considered consuming sport fish from urban areas highly risky, given their occasional illness experiences following meals of what they thought were polluted fish. For all Latino anglers, however, state-sponsored advisories were minimally effective because of their limited distribution and complex wording. Results point to differences in lay and scientific models of pollution and a need to bridge this gap in future risk-communication strategies.

Animals↗