Consumer perceptions of beef healthiness: results from a qualitative study in four European countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Consumer perception of the healthiness of beef is an important determinant of beef consumption. However, little is known about how consumers perceive the healthiness of beef. The aim of this study is to shed light on the associations between beef and health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eight focus group discussions were conducted in four European countries (France, UK, Germany, Spain), each consisting of seven to nine participants. A content analysis was performed on the transcripts of these discussions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although beef was generally perceived as healthful, focus group participants expected positive as well as negative effects of beef consumption on their health. Labelled, branded, fresh and lean beef were perceived as signalling healthful beef, in contrast with further processed and packaged beef. Consumers felt that their individual choices could make a difference with respect to the healthiness of beef consumed. Focus group participants were not in favour of improving beef healthiness during processing, but rather focussed on appropriate consumption behaviour and preparation methods.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The individual responsibility for health implies that consumers should be able to make correct judgements about how healthful their food is. However, the results of this study indicate that an accurate assessment of beef healthiness is not always straightforward. The presented results on consumer perceptions of beef healthiness provide insights into consumer decision making processes, which are important for the innovation and product differentiation in the European beef sector, as well as for public health policy decisions related to meat consumption in general and beef consumption in particular.</p

Fish consumption and its motives in households with versus without self-reported medical history of CVD: A consumer survey from five European countries

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to explore the cross-cultural differences in the frequency of fish intake and in motivations for fish consumption between people from households with (CVD+) or without (CVD-) medical history of cardiovascular disease, using data obtained in five European countries. Methods A cross-sectional consumer survey was carried out in November-December 2004 with representative household samples from Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland and Spain. The sample consisted of 4,786 respondents, aged 18–84 and who were responsible for food purchasing and cooking in the household. Results Individuals from households in the CVD+ group consumed fish more frequently in Belgium and in Denmark as compared to those in the CVD- group. The consumption of fatty fish, which is the main sources of omega-3 PUFA associated with prevention of cardiovascular diseases, was on the same level for the two CVD groups in the majority of the countries, except in Belgium where CVD+ subjects reported to eat fatty fish significantly more frequently than CVD- subjects. All respondents perceived fish as a very healthy and nutritious food product. Only Danish consumers reported a higher subjective and objective knowledge related to nutrition issues about fish. In the other countries, objective knowledge about fish was on a low level, similar for CVD+ as for CVD- subjects, despite a higher claimed use of medical information sources about fish among CVD+ subjects. Conclusion Although a number of differences between CVD- and CVD+ subjects with respect to their frequency of fish intake are uncovered, the findings suggest that fish consumption traditions and habits – rather than a medical history of CVD – account for large differences between the countries, particularly in fatty fish consumption. This study exemplifies the need for nutrition education and more effective communication about fish, not only to the people facing chronic diseases, but also to the broader public. European consumers are convinced that eating fish is healthy, but particular emphasis should be made on communicating benefits especially from fatty fish consumption.</p

Prevalence and sociodemographic determinants of tobacco use among adults in Pakistan: findings of a nationwide survey conducted in 2012.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable mortality. The World Health Organization recommends that countries should monitor tobacco use regularly. In Pakistan, the last national study on smoking in the general population was conducted in 2002 to 2003. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of men and women living in rural and urban areas of four main provinces of Pakistan from March through April 2012. Face-to-face in-house interviews were undertaken using a pre-tested structured questionnaire that asked about smoking and other forms of tobacco use. Multistage stratified random area probability sampling was used. To determine the national prevalence of tobacco use, the sample was weighted to correspond to rural-urban population proportions in each of the four provinces as in the 1998 census conducted by Pakistan's Population Census Organization. Associations between sociodemographic variables and tobacco use were investigated using multivariable robust regression. RESULTS: Out of 2,644 respondents (1,354 men and 1,290 women), 354 men and 4 women reported being current cigarette smokers. The weighted prevalence of current cigarette smoking was 15.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 11.2, 19.3) overall, 26.6% (95% CI: 19.1, 34.1) among males, and 0.4% (95% CI: -0.2, 1.0) among females. Among females, 1.8% (95% CI: 0.4, 3.1) used any smoked tobacco and 4.6% (95% CI: 1.8, 7.4) used any smokeless tobacco daily or on some days of the week. Among males, odds of current cigarette smoking decreased with increasing level of education (OR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.68, 0.84) and increased with having a father who used tobacco (OR = 2.11; 95% CI: 1.39, 3.22) after adjusting for other sociodemographic characteristics. Lower household income was associated with current cigarette smoking among rural males only (odds ratio [OR] = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.48, 0.92 per category increase in monthly household income). CONCLUSION: A large proportion of males smoked cigarettes. Cigarette use was negligible among females, but they used other forms of tobacco. Low education was a determinant of cigarette smoking among males irrespective of socioeconomic status and area of residence. Tobacco control campaigns should target uneducated and rural poor men and monitor all forms of tobacco used by the population

Frequency of child maltreatment in a representative sample of the German population

Iffland B, Brähler E, Neuner F, Häuser W, Glaesmer H. Frequency of child maltreatment in a representative sample of the German population. BMC Public Health. 2013;13(1): 980.Background Representative data about the frequency of child maltreatment is needed in order to estimate the extent of the problem in the wider population as well as to provide the basis for interpretation of frequency rates in clinical samples. However, previous representative studies on the frequency of child maltreatment in Germany and other countries were limited as they focused on the assessment of physical and sexual abuse whilst emotional forms of maltreatment were ignored. In addition, previous studies applied scales that had not been validated against external criteria. Methods In a cross-sectional study, standardized questionnaires were administered to a representative sample of the German population. Maltreatment in childhood and adolescence was assessed using the German version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Empirically derived threshold values for the five different types of child maltreatment including emotional maltreatment were applied to determine presence of abuse and neglect. Results Complete data was available from N = 2,500 subjects. Prevalence rates were 13.9% for emotional neglect, 10.2% for emotional abuse, 12.0% for physical abuse, 48.4% for physical neglect, and 6.2% for sexual abuse. Differences between sexes were found for the frequency of sexual abuse. Conclusions Although our analysis has found lower rates of child maltreatment than previous reports that used less well validated criteria, the results of this study confirm that child abuse, with its many different facets, is a significant problem in Germany

Public perception of river fish biodiversity in four European countries

Public support for biodiversity conservation is shaped by people's values and their knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes toward the environment. We conducted the first multinational representative survey of the general public's perceptions of river fish biodiversity in France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden. For the online survey, 1000 respondents per country were randomly selected from large panels following country‐specific quotas set on age, gender, and educational level. Questions covered people's level of knowledge, beliefs, values, and attitudes toward river fish, environmental threats, and conservation measures. We found that the public had limited knowledge of freshwater fishes. Two non‐native species, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), were widely perceived as native, whereas native Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) was mostly classified as native in Scandinavia and largely as non‐native in central Europe. These results suggest an extinction of experience paralleling the extirpation or decline of salmon stocks in countries such as Germany and France. Respondents thought pollution was the dominant threat to riverine fish biodiversity. In reality, habitat loss, dams, and the spread of non‐native fishes are equally important. Despite limited biological knowledge, respondents from all countries held an overwhelmingly proecological worldview, supported conservation stocking, and appreciated native fishes, although only a minority interacted with them directly. Differences among the 4 countries related to several conservation issues. For example, threats to biodiversity stemming from aquaculture were perceived as more prevalent in Norway compared with the other 3 countries. Promoting fish conservation based on charismatic species and use values of fishes may work well in countries with a strong economic and cultural link to the freshwater environment, such as Norway. In countries where people rather abstractly care for nature, focusing conservation messaging on broader ecosystem traits and non‐use values of fishes is likely to win more support