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Risk Perception (risk + perception)
Selected AbstractsThe Roles of Risk Perception and Borderline and Antisocial Personality Characteristics in College Alcohol Use and Abuse,JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2004Emily Crawford This study examined the relationships among risk perceptions, alcohol use and abuse, and borderline and antisocial personality characteristics in college students. College students who perceived themselves less able to avoid negative consequences reported drinking more and having more substance abuse symptoms than those who perceived themselves as more able to avoid negative consequences. College students who scored higher on borderline or antisocial personality tended to rate personal avoidability of negative consequences lower than those who scored lower on these personality characteristics. A multiple regression model accounted for 50% of the variance in self-reported substance abuse symptoms. Low perceived personal avoidability of negative drinking consequences and high borderline or antisocial personality characteristics are risk factors for substance abuse problems. [source] The Effects of Consumer Risk Perception on Pre-purchase Information in Online Auctions: Brand, Word-of-Mouth, and Customized InformationJOURNAL OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION, Issue 1 2002Hong-Youl Ha This study examines how consumer information processing affects consumers' perception of risk prior to purchase. In particular, this research focuses on pre-purchase information such as brand, word-of-mouth, and customized information. The results show that customized information and word-of-mouth communication influence consumers more than do other types of information from online auctions. Consumers rely on these two factors because they are based on consumer experience and relevant to product purchase. Nevertheless, brand also has a significant effect upon consumer perceived risk. Pre-purchase information processing is directly related to reducing consumers' risk perception. In particular, information processing associated with product performance plays a crucial role in reducing consumers' perceived risk in online transactions. The results offer insights to e-marketers and e-marketing researchers about the role of pre-purchase information in management and e-commerce. [source] Culture and Identity-Protective Cognition: Explaining the White-Male Effect in Risk PerceptionJOURNAL OF EMPIRICAL LEGAL STUDIES, Issue 3 2007Dan M. Kahan Why do white men fear various risks less than women and minorities? Known as the "white-male effect," this pattern is well documented but poorly understood. This article proposes a new explanation: identity-protective cognition. Putting work on the cultural theory of risk together with work on motivated cognition in social psychology suggests that individuals selectively credit and dismiss asserted dangers in a manner supportive of their cultural identities. This dynamic, it is hypothesized, drives the white-male effect, which reflects the risk skepticism that hierarchical and individualistic white males display when activities integral to their cultural identities are challenged as harmful. The article presents the results of an 1,800-person study that confirmed that cultural worldviews interact with the impact of gender and race on risk perception in patterns that suggest cultural-identity-protective cognition. It also discusses the implications of these findings for risk regulation and communication. [source] Americans' Nanotechnology Risk Perception:JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Assessing Opinion Change Summary Although proposed nanotechnology applications hold great promise, little is known about the potential associated risks. This lack of clarity on the level of risk associated with nanotechnology has forced people to make decisions about consumption with incomplete information. A national random digit dialing telephone survey (N= 1014) was conducted in the United States to assess knowledge of nanotechnology and perception of risk in August 2006. This investigation looks critically at individuals' responses to questions about the balance of risks and benefits of nanotechnology, both at the outset of the survey and after respondents were given a brief introduction to the potential benefits and risks of the technology. Models were created to characterzise respondents who said they did not know how nanotechnology's risks and benefits balanced in the "preinformation" condition but who, in the postinformation condition, had a different opinion. Respondents who were highly educated, members of the Republican Party, or male were more likely to switch from "don't know" in the preinformation condition to "benefits outweigh risks" in the postinformation condition, whereas respondents who were less educated, members of the Democratic Party, or female were more likely to switch from "don't know" in the preinformation condition to "risks outweigh benefits" in the postinformation condition. This is the first study to our knowledge to develop a significant model of nanotechnology risk perception change, specifically with regard to gender differences. The power of information provision to sway opinions is also supported, highlighting the importance of developing educational efforts targeting vulnerable populations. [source] Judgmental Discounting and Environmental Risk Perception: Dimensional Similarities, Domain Differences, and Implications for SustainabilityJOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 1 2007Alexander Gattig Environmental risks constitute a special category of risks because they often involve consequences that are highly uncertain, strongly delayed, occurring at distant places, and,therefore,mostly borne by others. Economic, decision,theoretic, and psychological research about the way people deal with such consequences is reviewed. Two major findings are presented: first, there is evidence that discounting mechanisms are stable across different preference dimensions (uncertainty, temporal, spatial, and social distance). Second, discount rates tend to vary across different problem domains (e.g., environmental vs. health vs. financial risks). In particular, it appears that temporal discounting is less pronounced for environmental risks than in other domains. Several factors are identified that affect the nature of the risk evaluation process, and it is argued that environmental risks differ from other risks on such factors. These environmental-risk characteristics may have important implications for policy strategies to promote environmental sustainability. Contrary to other domains, appealing to the public's long-term preferences may be successful. Also in policy making, insights from standard economic decision theory to environmental decision making should be applied with caution. [source] Sexual Practices, Risk Perception and Knowledge Of Sexually Transmitted Disease Risk Among Lesbian and Bisexual WomenPERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 1 2005Jeanne M. Marrazzo CONTEXT: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can be spread between female sex partners, probably through the exchange of cervicovaginal fluid and direct mucosal contact. Additionally, lesbians have a high prevalence of bacterial vaginosis, which may represent an STD in this population. However, few data on sexual practices or perceived STD risk among lesbians are available to guide development of interventions aimed at reducing the risk. METHODS: To inform the development of a safer-sex intervention for women who have sex with women, focus group discussions were conducted with 23 lesbian and bisexual women aged 18,29. Topics included sexual practices, STD transmission and prevention, and knowledge about bacterial vaginosis. RESULTS: Although six participants had had bacterial vaginosis and three an STD, women reported little use of preventive measures with female partners (washing hands, using rubber gloves and cleaning sex toys). Participants said that vaginal penetrative practices using sex toys and fingers or hands are common, and that partners frequently share sex toys during a sexual encounter, generally without condoms. Knowledge of potential for STD transmission between women, and of bacterial vaginosis, was limited. Participants viewed use of barrier methods (gloves or condoms) as acceptable, provided that there is a reason (usually STD-focused) to use them and that they are promoted in the context of sexual health and pleasure. CONCLUSIONS: Safer-sex messages aimed at lesbian and bisexual women should emphasize the plausibility of STD transmission between women, personal responsibility and care for partners' well-being; should target common sexual practices; and should promote healthy sexuality. [source] A Multi-Method, Multi-Hazard Approach to Explore the Uniqueness of Terrorism Risk Perceptions and Worry,JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Jennifer E.C. Lee Developing ways to manage terrorism effectively requires a better understanding of how the public perceives this threat. In the present study, Canadians' perceptions of terrorism risk and 4 other hazards were assessed using a word-association technique and rating scales reflecting key cognitive dimensions of risk (threat, uncertainty, control) and worry reactions. Data were collected in a national telephone survey. Canadians perceived terrorism as posing a lower threat, as more uncertain, and as less controllable, compared to the other hazards. Positive associations of perceived threat and of perceived uncertainty with worry about terrorism were observed. However, perceived control was unexpectedly positively associated with worry about terrorism. The findings also suggest that additional social contextual factors should be examined in future research. [source] Risk perception and smoking behavior in medically ill smokers: a prospective studyADDICTION, Issue 6 2010Belinda Borrelli ABSTRACT Aims To examine the influence of risk perception on intentions to quit smoking and post-treatment abstinence. Design Prospective and longitudinal. Setting United States. Participants A total of 237 adult smokers (mean age 56 years) receiving medical care from home health-care nurses. Participants did not have to want to quit smoking to participate, but received cessation counseling within the context of their medical care. Measurements Three measures of risk perception were given pre- and post-treatment: perceived vulnerability, optimistic bias and precaution effectiveness. Smoking status was verified biochemically at end of treatment and at 2, 6 and 12 months later. Findings Principal components analysis supported the theoretical discriminability of the risk perception measures, and intercorrelations provided evidence for concurrent and predictive validity. Elevated risk perception was associated with a variety of socio-demographic and psychosocial characteristics. Optimistic bias was associated significantly with older age and ethnic minority status. Smokers in pre-contemplation had lower perceived vulnerability and precaution effectiveness and greater optimistic bias than those in contemplation and preparation. Smokers in preparation had higher perceived vulnerability and lower optimistic bias than those in earlier stages. Change in perceived vulnerability predicted smoking cessation at follow-up. Optimistic bias predicted a lower likelihood of cessation and precaution effectiveness predicted a greater likelihood of smoking cessation, but only among those with a smoking-related illness. Conclusions In patients receiving medical care from home health-care nurses, change in perceived vulnerability to smoking-related disease is predictive of smoking cessation. In those with smoking-related illnesses, optimistic bias predicts continued smoking while precaution effectiveness predicts cessation. [source] Risk perception and risky choice: Situational, informational and dispositional effectsASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2003Xiao-Fei Xie We investigated how situational (gain,loss), informational (opportunity,threat framing) and dispositional (achievement motive and avoidance motive) variables affected opportunity,threat perception and risky choice in managerial decision-making contexts. In Study 1, the risk preference of the participants showed a reflection effect due to situational differences (gain or loss) and a partial framing effect caused by presenting the same choice information in terms of either opportunities or threats. However, both effects were in the opposite direction of predictions from prospect theory. Gains and positive framing enhanced risk-seeking preference whereas losses and negative framing augmented risk-averse preference. Risk-seeking choices were mediated by opportunity perception whereas risk-averse choices were mediated by threat perception. In Study 2, the participants high in achievement motive perceived greater opportunities in a negative situation, and the participants high in avoidance motive perceived greater threats in a positive situation, suggesting that ambition (achievement motive) operates more significantly in the face of adversities whereas cautiousness (avoidance motive) functions more significantly in prosperity. [source] Risk perception in drug therapyBRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 2 2006British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, J. K Aronson Chairman of the Editorial Board No abstract is available for this article. [source] Consumer Perceptions of Privacy and Security Risks for Online ShoppingJOURNAL OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, Issue 1 2001ANTHONY D. MIYAZAKI Government and industry organizations have declared information privacy and security to be major obstacles in the development of consumer-related e-commerce. Risk perceptions regarding Internet privacy and security have been identified as issues for both new and experienced users of Internet technology. This paper explores risk perceptions among consumers of varying levels of Internet experience and how these perceptions relate to online shopping activity. Findings provide evidence of hypothesized relationships among consumers' levels of Internet experience, the use of alternate remote purchasing methods (such as telephone and mail-order shopping), the perceived risks of online shopping, and online purchasing activity. Implications for online commerce and consumer welfare are discussed. [source] Urban earthquake hazard: perceived seismic risk and preparedness in Dhaka City, BangladeshDISASTERS, Issue 2 2010Bimal Kanti Paul Bangladesh is vulnerable to seismic events. Experts suspect that if an earthquake with a 7.0 magnitude occurred in large cities of Bangladesh, there would be a major human tragedy due to the structural failure of many buildings. The primary objectives of this paper are to examine seismic risk perception among residents of Dhaka City and investigate their levels of earthquake preparedness. A questionnaire survey conducted among 444 residents of the city provided the major source of data for the paper. The survey results suggest that an overwhelming majority of the respondents were not prepared for a major earthquake, which is anticipated to occur in Dhaka. Multivariate analysis of survey data reveals that value of residential unit and respondent educational levels appear as the most significant determinants of preparedness status of the respondents. This study recommends increasing earthquake awareness and preparedness among residents of Dhaka City. [source] Risk perception and smoking behavior in medically ill smokers: a prospective studyADDICTION, Issue 6 2010Belinda Borrelli ABSTRACT Aims To examine the influence of risk perception on intentions to quit smoking and post-treatment abstinence. Design Prospective and longitudinal. Setting United States. Participants A total of 237 adult smokers (mean age 56 years) receiving medical care from home health-care nurses. Participants did not have to want to quit smoking to participate, but received cessation counseling within the context of their medical care. Measurements Three measures of risk perception were given pre- and post-treatment: perceived vulnerability, optimistic bias and precaution effectiveness. Smoking status was verified biochemically at end of treatment and at 2, 6 and 12 months later. Findings Principal components analysis supported the theoretical discriminability of the risk perception measures, and intercorrelations provided evidence for concurrent and predictive validity. Elevated risk perception was associated with a variety of socio-demographic and psychosocial characteristics. Optimistic bias was associated significantly with older age and ethnic minority status. Smokers in pre-contemplation had lower perceived vulnerability and precaution effectiveness and greater optimistic bias than those in contemplation and preparation. Smokers in preparation had higher perceived vulnerability and lower optimistic bias than those in earlier stages. Change in perceived vulnerability predicted smoking cessation at follow-up. Optimistic bias predicted a lower likelihood of cessation and precaution effectiveness predicted a greater likelihood of smoking cessation, but only among those with a smoking-related illness. Conclusions In patients receiving medical care from home health-care nurses, change in perceived vulnerability to smoking-related disease is predictive of smoking cessation. In those with smoking-related illnesses, optimistic bias predicts continued smoking while precaution effectiveness predicts cessation. [source] Avoidance motivation, risk perception and emotional processingEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2009Sointu Leikas The present studies examined the moderating role of state motivation on the associations between trait avoidance motivation, risk perception and emotional processing. In Studies 1 and 2, avoidance or approach states were evoked in participants who then completed a risk perception task and a trait avoidance motivation measure. Both studies showed that trait avoidance only correlated with risk perceptions among individuals in approach state. In Study 3, emotional interpretation was measured. State and trait avoidance motivation did not interact in predicting emotional interpretation. The results showed that the effect of state motivation can explain the low correlations found between trait avoidance and risk perceptions, and suggested that the avoidance system may operate on an on,off principle rather than synergistically. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Beliefs and beyond: what can we learn from qualitative studies of lay people's understandings of cancer risk?HEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 2 2010Wendy L. Lipworth MBBS PhD Abstract Background, Clinicians and public health professionals are centrally concerned with mediating risk. However, people often resist the risk-related information that is communicated to them by experts, or have their own models of risk that conflict with expert views. Quantitative studies have clearly demonstrated the importance of health beliefs and various cognitive and emotional processes in shaping risk perception. More recently, a growing body of qualitative research has emerged, exploring lay conceptualizations, experiences and constructions of cancer risk. To date, this literature has not been synthesized. Objective, We report the findings of a synthesis of qualitative literature regarding the ways in which lay people construct and experience cancer risk. Design, We identified 87 articles and used the method of ,thematic synthesis' to identify and interpret key concepts from existing studies. Results, Eight analytic categories were developed: (i) perceptions of risk factors; (ii) process of risk perception; (iii) seeking control and taking responsibility (motivational factors); (iv) experiencing cancer directly; (v) constructing risk temporally; (vi) embodying risk; (vii) identifying with risk; and (viii) constructing risk in a social context. Conclusions, Qualitative enquiry can provide us with a rich and nuanced picture of the ways in which people understand, experience and construct risk and how being ,at risk' is managed, and can assist us in our communication with both individual patients and populations. [source] Perceived Risk and Efficacy Beliefs as Motivators of ChangeHUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 3 2003Use of the Risk Perception Attitude (RPA) Framework to Understand Health Behaviors Evidence of a direct correlation between risk perception and self-protective behavior is ambiguous at best. Witte's (1992, 1994) extended parallel process model (EPPM) explains many contradictory findings by pointing out the moderating role played by efficacy beliefs. Working from the EPPM, this article introduces the risk perception attitude (RPA) framework that categorizes individuals into one of four attitudinal groups: responsive (high risk, high efficacy), avoidance (high risk, low efficacy), proactive (low risk, high efficacy), and indifference (low risk, low efficacy). We conducted two studies to test our hypotheses that these groups differ in their self-protective motivation, intention to seek information, behavioral intention, knowledge acquisition, and time spent seeking information. Results, though not entirely consistent, suggest that, when risk and efficacy are made salient (Study 1), people's risk perception guides most of their subsequent actions, but in a natural context (Study 2), risk and efficacy jointly affect subsequent action. [source] Cancer risk perceptions in an urban Mediterranean populationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 1 2005Montse García Abstract The objective of our study was to analyze the perceived (belief) or adopted (behavior) measures to reduce cancer risk in a Spanish population. We used cross-sectional data from the Cornella Health Interview Survey Follow-up Study (CHIS.FU). We analyzed 1,438 subjects who in 2002 answered questions about risk perceptions on cancer and related behavior (668 males and 770 females). The benefits of avoiding cigarette smoking (95.8%), sunlight exposure (94.9%) and alcohol (81.0%) were widely recognized. On the other hand, electromagnetic fields (92.1%), food coloring and other food additives (78.4%) or pesticides (69.4%), whose role in cancer occurrence, if any, remain unproven, were clearly considered as cancer risk factors in this population. Compared to men, women more frequently reported healthy behaviors, and the role of exogenous factors (i.e., environmental risk factors) were widely popular. There was a socioeconomic gradient on cancer risk perception with respect to several lifestyle or dietary factors. Individuals with higher educational level scored lower in several risk factors than those with primary or less than primary school education. Smokers reported adopting fewer healthy behaviors than former or never smokers. How people perceive health issues and risk or make choices about their own behavior does not always follow a predictable or rational pattern. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Reconceptualizing risk perception: perceiving Majority World citizens at risk from ,Northern' consumptionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 3 2006Sue L.T. McGregorArticle first published online: 3 APR 200 Abstract The premise of this paper is that the consumption behaviour of ,Northern' citizens places Majority World citizens at great risk. A theoretical evolution suggested in this paper is the extension of the notion of risky consumption to include the impact of consumption on the human security of others. Until people can envision that their consumption behaviour places others at risk of exposure to harm, they will not see the need to perceive, assess and manage the risk. The paper tenders a preliminary reconceptualization of risk perception, using the conventional consumer behaviour model constructs of personal, distribution channel and situational factors. From this new perspective, instead of judging whether the good or service is risky for a ,Northern' citizen to consume, risk perception scholars would examine people's perceptions of whether their consumption places fellow citizens at risk, the people labouring and producing the goods and services. [source] Stress, Breast Cancer Risk, and Breast Self-Examination: Chronic Effects of Risk and Worry,JOURNAL OF APPLIED BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2004Donna M. Posluszny Identifying the risk factors for breast cancer allows targeted prevention and surveillance of women with higher than average risk. Moreover, aggressive, regular surveillance is necessary if mortality is to be reduced by finding disease in its early, more treatable stages. However, learning that one is at risk may cause stress as women worry about developing breast cancer and the severity of its effects. This study examined the distress associated with breast cancer risk by measuring perceived stress, breast cancer worry, risk perception, and surveillance behavior in women with average and higher than average risk profiles. Women at higher risk reported more worry, intrusive thoughts, and emotional upset throughout the year of the study than did women with average risk. In addition, stress reduced adherence to regular breast self-examination. [source] Different measures of risk perceptions yield different patterns of interaction for combinations of hazards: smoking, family history and cardiac eventsJOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 5 2004David P. French Abstract Some combinations of hazards yield disease rates greater than would be expected from the risk attributable to each hazard in isolation. However, perceptions are often more consistent with the combined risk being seen as less than the sum of the individual factors, raising concerns over the validity of some measures of risk perception. Here, 249 adults estimated the risk of cardiac events for four hypothetical men, described as having high or low levels of smoking and family history of heart disease. Three distinct measures were used. A 9-point scale produced a strong sub-additive interaction, a 101-point scale produced a weaker sub-additive interaction, and an unbounded scale produced no interaction. In this study, as in all previous research, scales with relatively few points (here a 9-point scale) yield sub-additive interactions. Given the consistency of results yielded by such scales, irrespective of context, it is concluded that these scales are not valid for perceptions of multiple risk factors. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Culture and Identity-Protective Cognition: Explaining the White-Male Effect in Risk PerceptionJOURNAL OF EMPIRICAL LEGAL STUDIES, Issue 3 2007Dan M. Kahan Why do white men fear various risks less than women and minorities? Known as the "white-male effect," this pattern is well documented but poorly understood. This article proposes a new explanation: identity-protective cognition. Putting work on the cultural theory of risk together with work on motivated cognition in social psychology suggests that individuals selectively credit and dismiss asserted dangers in a manner supportive of their cultural identities. This dynamic, it is hypothesized, drives the white-male effect, which reflects the risk skepticism that hierarchical and individualistic white males display when activities integral to their cultural identities are challenged as harmful. The article presents the results of an 1,800-person study that confirmed that cultural worldviews interact with the impact of gender and race on risk perception in patterns that suggest cultural-identity-protective cognition. It also discusses the implications of these findings for risk regulation and communication. [source] Multinomial logit models comparing consumers' and producers' risk perception of specialty meatAGRIBUSINESS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2005E. William Nganje There is a dichotomy of risk perception between consumers and processors of specialty meats. Studies show that consumers continue to resist these meats and perceive them as somewhat unsafe while processors perceive them to be safe. This study uses survey data from 401 consumers and 22 bison processors to evaluate the determinants of food safety risk perception gaps. Results indicate that significant food safety risk perception gaps exist between consumers and producers of bison meat. Outrage, among other factors, accounts for consumer risk perception while the number of years in business is a major determinant of producer risk perception. Consumers' food safety risk perception affects the frequency of consumption of bison meat. This creates difficulties in formulating marketing strategies and policy initiatives aimed at moving specialty meats beyond niche markets. [EconLit citations: Q180, D190, C140.] © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 21: 375,390, 2005. [source] A Review of the Health Beliefs and Lifestyle Behaviors of Women with Previous Gestational DiabetesJOURNAL OF OBSTETRIC, GYNECOLOGIC & NEONATAL NURSING, Issue 5 2009Emily J. Jones ABSTRACT Objective: To critically review and synthesize original research designed to examine the health beliefs, including risk perceptions and health behaviors related to diet and physical activity of women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus. Data Sources: PubMed and CINAHL databases were searched for studies published in the last decade (1998-2008) that examined variables related to the health beliefs and behaviors of women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus. Keyword searches included health beliefs, health behaviors, perceived risk, gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes, diet, physical activity, and postpartum. Study Selection: Eight articles, representing 6 studies, were selected that met the inclusion criteria of original research, dependent variable of health beliefs and behaviors of women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus, and measurement after pregnancy. Data Extraction: Articles were reviewed and discussed according to the concepts of risk perception and health beliefs, health behaviors related to diet and physical activity, and psychosocial factors related to women's health beliefs and behaviors. Data Synthesis: Data revealed common health beliefs and behaviors of women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus, including low risk perceptions for future type 2 diabetes mellitus and suboptimal levels of physical activity and fruit and vegetable intake. The majority of studies revealed a distinct knowledge-behavior gap among women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus, whereas others revealed a lack of knowledge regarding necessary lifestyle modifications. Conclusions: Findings from this review may assist women's health researchers and clinicians in developing appropriate interventions for increasing risk awareness, promoting self-efficacy for weight loss and physical activity behaviors, and decreasing rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease among women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus. Further research is necessary to identify factors that influence the health beliefs and behaviors of women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus. Future research should focus on populations of greater racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity, as the majority of studies have been conducted with non-Hispanic White, socioeconomically advantaged women. [source] Ranking the risk of pesticide dietary intakePEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 9 2004Felicia Low Abstract Pesticide residues in various foods were assessed for the relative risk to the consumer. The analysis took into account criteria such as a pesticide's toxicity, usage, frequency of occurrence in foods, frequency of Maximum Residue Level (MRL) exceedances, and the overall risks of specific pesticide/food combinations. Examination of the top ten ranked pesticides for each criterion showed that there are no trends of commonality. Thus, no single pesticide is of particular concern from a consumer's point of view. This suggests that the consumer's risk perception is likely to be higher than justified. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Factors associated with safe patient handling behaviors among critical care nursesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 9 2010Soo-Jeong Lee RN Abstract Background Patient handling is a major risk factor for musculoskeletal (MS) injury among nurses. The aims of the study were to describe nurses' work behaviors related to safe patient handling and identify factors influencing their safe work behaviors, including the use of lifting equipment. Methods A cross-sectional study using a mailed questionnaire with a nationwide random sample of 361 critical care nurses. Nurses reported on the physical, psychosocial, and organizational characteristics of their jobs and on their MS symptoms, risk perception, work behaviors, and demographics. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify significant factors. Results More than half of participants had no lifting equipment on their unit, and 74% reported that they performed all patient lift or transfer tasks manually. Significant factors for safer work behavior included better safety climate, higher effort,reward imbalance, less overcommitment, greater social support, and day shift work. Physical workload, personal risk perception, or MS symptom experiences were not associated with safe work behavior. Conclusions Safe work behaviors are best understood as socio-cultural phenomena influenced by organizational, psychosocial, and job factors but, counter to extant theories of health behaviors, do not appear to be related to personal risk perception. Management efforts to improve working conditions and enhance safety culture in hospitals could prove to be crucial in promoting nurses' safe work behavior and reducing risk of MS injury. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:886,897, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Religiosity, spirituality, and psychological distress in African-Americans at risk for having a hereditary cancer predisposing gene mutation,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS, Issue 1 2009Anita Y. Kinney Abstract Elevated psychological distress has been observed among people at increased risk for familial cancer. Researchers consider religiosity and spirituality (RS) to be positive coping mechanisms associated with reduced psychological distress. Relatively little is known about the impact of RS on genomic health issues. The objectives of our study were: (1) describe the prevalence of RS and depressive symptoms and (2) explore how RS relates to psychological distress in a cohort of individuals with a ,25% prior probability of a genetic predisposition to cancer. Participants (n,=,99) were drawn from an African-American, Louisiana-based kindred with a mutation at the BRCA1 locus. This analysis reports findings from a survey assessing RS and the use of three types of religious coping styles: collaborative, self-directing, and deferring. Clinically significant depressive symptoms were relatively high (27%); with females (33%) more likely than males (17%) to report symptoms (P,<,0.01). The majority of participants reported being highly religious. The most commonly employed religious problem solving style used by participants was collaborative (; SD,=,5.8) versus self-directing (; SD,=,5.1) and deferring (; SD,=,6.3). We did not observe significant associations between RS indicators and psychological distress, nor did we observe appreciable differences related to gender or risk perception. Although RS beliefs and practices are important for many African-Americans, we did not find evidence that indicators of self-reported RS are associated with psychological distress prior to genetic counseling and testing. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Safety culture factors, group differences, and risk perception in five petrochemical plantsPROCESS SAFETY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2010Chen-Shan Kao This paper was retracted for necessary author revisions. It later appeared in the June 2008 issue, Vol 27, Issue 2, pp 145 to 152. DOI 10.1002/prs.10246 [source] Interpreting claims in offender profiles: the role of probability phrases, base-rates and perceived dangerousness,APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Gaëlle Villejoubert Offender profilers use verbal and numerical probability expressions to convey uncertainty surrounding claims made about offender's characteristics. No previous research has examined how these expressions might affect the recipient's interpretation of the information. Seventy participants completed an online questionnaire and results showed a diverse range of interpretations of these uncertainty expressions. Moreover, characteristic base-rates and dangerousness affected the perceived likelihood of the profiling claim, such that increased base-rates and perceived dangerousness resulted in an increased perception of the claim being likely. Perceived likelihoods also depended on the framing of characteristics as well as the framing of the claim itself. Finally, where claims involved presenting a characteristic qualified by a low probability these claims were interpreted as more likely than not to be present. These findings have practical implications for profilers and more general theoretical implications for the study of risk perception. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] PESSIMISM OR OPTIMISM: A JUSTIFICATION TO VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARD ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY,AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC PAPERS, Issue 4 2009JOHANNA ETNER This article analyses the determinants of voluntary contribution to environmental quality by introducing the perception of environmental risk. We consider individuals who are aware both of the impact of their voluntary contributions and of the quality of the current environment on the future quality of environment. Their preferences are represented by the RDU model. We distinguish three kinds of effect: environmental quality, wealth and risk perception. The first effects are not always sufficient to explain agents' implication in the improvement of environmental quality. [source] Effects of alternative styles of risk information on EMF risk perceptionBIOELECTROMAGNETICS, Issue 7 2010Jesper Bo Nielsen Abstract Risk scenarios characterized by exposures to new technologies with unknown health effects, together with limited appreciation of benefits pose a challenge to risk communication. The present report illustrates this situation through a study of the perceived risk from mobile phones and mobile masts in residential areas. Good information should objectively convey the current state of knowledge. The research question is then how to inform lay people so that they trust and understand the information. We used an Internet-based survey with 1687 Danish participants randomized to three types of information about radiation from mobile phones and masts. The objective was to study whether different types of information were rated as equally useful, informative, comprehensible, and trustworthy. Moreover, an important issue was whether information would influence risk perception and intended behavior. The conclusion is that lay people rate information about risks associated with a new and largely unknown technology more useful and trustworthy when provided with brief statements about how to handle the risk, rather than more lengthy technical information about why the technology may or may not entail health hazards. Further, the results demonstrate that information may increase concern among a large proportion of the population, and that discrepancies exist between expressed concern and intended behavior. Bioelectromagnetics 31:504,512, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||