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Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Consumer confusion in the Thai mobile phone market

JOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 6 2006
Sheena Leek
Consumer confusion is likely to be an ever increasing problem as customers live in an environment where they are bombarded with information and where rapid technological developments are taking place. Although consumer confusion has been investigated in individualistic cultures such as the United Kingdom, it has received little attention in collectivist cultures such as Thailand. This research examines confusion in the Thai mobile phone industry. More specifically, it aims to determine what aspects of the mobile phone industry are confusing and what sources of information are used to reduce or eliminate it. Thai consumers experience confusion and find a number of aspects of the mobile phone industry to be problematic especially handsets, services and tariffs. In terms of reducing confusion, family and friends are the most popular source of information being both credible and reliable. It is put forward that the problems associated with handsets, services and tariffs are due to differing degrees of technological complexity and overchoice both of which are sub-components of confusion. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Purchasing of cigarettes by New Zealand secondary students in 2000

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 5 2002
Rob McGee
Objective: To examine the prevalence of under-age sales of cigarettes to New Zealand secondary school students in 2000 and to identify correlates of buying cigarettes. Method: A randomly selected sample of 53 secondary schools from five geographic regions took part, and 2,896 Year 10 and Year 12 students completed a self-report questionnaire. Results: Some 30.3% reported smoking during the past 30 days and 61.8% of these students usually obtained cigarettes by purchasing from shops, from other students or from someone else buying them on their behalf. Local corner stores and service stations were the most popular source. Buying cigarettes was associated with more frequent smoking, more money to spend, a higher school decile rating and higher proportion of schoolmates also purchasing. Conclusions: Prohibition of cigarette sales to minors needs much greater attention in NZ than it is receiving at present if smoking among young people is to be reduced. [source]

Divisibility and the Moral Status of Embryos

BIOETHICS, Issue 5-6 2001
Christian Munthe
The phenomenon of twinning in early fetal development has become a popular source for doubt regarding the ascription of moral status to early embryos. In this paper, the possible moral basis for such a line of reasoning is critically analysed with sceptical results. Three different versions of the argument from twinning are considered, all of which are found to rest on confusions between the actual division of embryos involved in twinning and the property of early embryos to be divisible, to be based on highly questionable ethical assumptions, or to imply inconsistent claims regarding the moral importance of potentiality and/or the moral status of embryos. This is taken to expose a number of related inconsistencies in the moral basis of pro-life positions. In particular, ascribing moral significance to the property of being (in)divisible is found to be incompatible with the claim that human individuals possess unique values which could underpin an absolute moral ban on murder. [source]

Patients' Knowledge about Risk Factors for Erectile Dysfunction is Poor

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 10 2008
Martin K. Baumgartner MD
ABSTRACT Introduction., Well informed and educated patients ideally manage to prevent or delay the onset of severe chronic diseases. With respect to erectile dysfunction (ED) this is of importance because ED is considered to herald debilitating cardiovascular diseases like coronary artery disease. Aim., This survey aimed to assess patient's knowledge about risk factors (RF) for ED and to identify their preferred source of information. Main Outcome Measures., Knowledge of RF for ED and sources used to gather information about ED as reported by patients with ED. Methods., Between July 2004 and June 2006, 126 patients who presented at our outpatient clinic for an assessment of their ED were prospectively evaluated. The patients received a questionnaire about their demographic and socioeconomic circumstances, their strategies to gather information about ED, and their knowledge of specific RF for this disease. The questionnaire was completed by 81 patients (64%). Results., Forty-one patients (51%) could not name one single RF for ED. Three men knew more than three RF. The two most popular sources of information were the Internet and general practitioners. Well-educated patients were significantly better informed than others. Patients using the Internet as source for health information were significantly younger and had a better knowledge about RF for ED compared to those not using the Internet. Conclusions., Patients' knowledge about RF for ED is poor. The Internet seems to be the most useful information source for patients with ED and is predominantly used by younger and better educated patients. Given that ED is considered to be a precursor lesion of severe cardiovascular diseases, patient information and education deserves more attention. Baumgartner MK, Hermanns T, Cohen A, Schmid DM, Seifert B, Sulser T, and Strebel RT. Patients' knowledge about risk factors for erectile dysfunction is poor. J Sex Med 2008;5:2399,2404. [source]