General Public Groups Research Articles

Analysis of Professionals’ and the General Public’s Perceptions of Passive Houses in Korea: Needs Assessment for the Improvement of the Energy Efficiency and Indoor Environmental Quality

Despite the economic and environmental benefits of passive houses, their market penetration has been low, which is partially due to misperceptions regarding their cost. This study examined the perceptions of building-related professionals and the general public regarding Korean passive houses to explore strategies for spurring passive house concepts and practices. The participants took an online survey on their interest in and reasons to reside in passive houses and their expected construction costs. The results from two separate groups of participants, including 162 professionals and 130 members of the general public, were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Both the professional and general public groups expressed a strong interest in passive houses because of the comfortable and healthy indoor environment, energy efficiency, cost savings, and sustainability that they provide. However, the expected construction costs of passive houses were perceived differently by the two groups: They were believed to be less expensive by the professionals and more expensive by the public respondents. This difference seems to result from their prior knowledge or experience regarding passive houses. Both groups were willing to pay more and assumed that the high expected costs were related to the construction products, systems, and labor costs of passive houses. The results showed that the lack of information or education on passive houses could be a major barrier to accessing passive houses, especially with the general public, while the cost could pose less of a barrier to the overall growth of the Korean passive house market. Further efforts by the government and industry are needed in order to provide more educational programs and to identify and manufacture more reasonably priced construction materials.

Pharmaceutical mobile application for visually-impaired people in Thailand: development and implementation

BackgroundMost mobile pharmaceutical applications produced for people with visual disabilities in Thailand fail to meet the required standard due to poor-quality regulations, defective design, lack of user support and impracticality; as a result, visually-impaired people are unable to use them. This research is motivated by the limited use of this technology in primary medical services and its aim is to enable people with disabilities to access effective digital health information. The research objective is to analyse, design and develop a mobile pharmaceutical application with functions that are appropriate for visually-impaired users, and test its usability.ResultsBased on the design and development of the application, it contained five necessary functions. When testing the usability and users’ satisfaction, it was found that the input or fill of information in the application was of low usability. According to the test results, the medicinal database function was missing 71 times and the voice command function was missing 34 times. Based on users’ satisfaction results, users who had the highest level of usage gave higher average scores to users’ attitude, users’ confidence, user interface and system performance than those with lower levels of usage. The scores of both groups were found to be the same when discussing the implementation of the development.ConclusionsThis mobile application, which was developed based on the use of smart technology, will play an important role in supporting visually-impaired people in Thailand by enhancing the efficacy of self-care. The design and development of the application will ensure the suitability of many functions for visually-impaired users. However, despite the high functional capacity of the application, the gap in healthcare services between the general public and disabled groups will still exist if users have inadequate IT skills.

P115 Updating Website Workflows to Efficiently Meet Changing User Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

<h3>Objective</h3> Assess whether changes implemented to an Extension website increased website traffic and met user needs. <h3>Use of Theory or Research</h3> Social distancing, quarantining, and staying at home due to COVID-19 had significant impacts on media consumption (Nielson Insights, 2020). According to the Pew Research Center, about 53% of US adults reported the internet was essential for them during the pandemic, with another 34% saying it was important (Vogels et al, 2020). <h3>Target Audience</h3> General public and multiplier groups (eg, educators, health professionals, media). <h3>Program Description</h3> The website team coordinated new, updated, and curated content for consumers and health professionals around timely food, nutrition and health information related to the pandemic. <h3>Evaluation Methods</h3> Google Analytics was used to assess website statistics. A web feedback form was added to new articles. Social media was used to promote/market content. <h3>Results</h3> Google Analytics (2019 vs 2020) showed increases in: pageviews (2.4 vs 3 million), site users (1.6 vs 2 million), and sessions (1.8 vs 2.4 million). There were positive increases in percent change for website traffic: direct traffic (36%); organic search (29%); and social media (53%). Specifically, positive increases in percent change for Facebook (112%) and Twitter (90%). Over 2,500 web feedback form responses were included in the analysis. Respondents said information was helpful to them (89%) and shared information with over 157,800 people (eg, friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, students, parents, clients, and seniors). Approximately 90% of responses were unique. Themes from open-ended comments included: helping keep families safe (food safety); recipes and activities for families at home with children; and food resource management tips. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Curating and creating content relevant to COVID-19 and promoting on social media increased website traffic. Using a standard web feedback form provided information about what content was useful to users. Templates and organizational structures helped state and county level Extension, support staff, and college students easily add content that was reviewed.

Comparing Public and Provider Preferences for Setting Healthcare Priorities: Evidence from Kuwait.

As attempts are made to allocate health resources more efficiently, understanding the acceptability of these changes is essential. This study aims to compare the priorities of the public with those of health service providers in Kuwait. It also aims to compare the perceptions of both groups regarding key health policies in the country. Members of the general public and a sample of health service providers, including physicians, dentists, nurses, and technicians, were randomly selected to complete a structured, self-administered questionnaire. They were asked to rank health services by their perceived importance, rank preferred sources of additional health funding, and share their perceptions of the current allocation of health resources, including current healthcare spending choices and the adequacy of total resources allocated to healthcare. They were also asked for their perception of the current local policies on sending patients abroad for certain types of treatments and the policy of providing private health insurance for retirees. The response rate was above 75% for both groups. A higher tax on cigarettes was preferred by 73% of service providers as a source of additional funding for healthcare services, while 59% of the general public group chose the same option. When asked about the sufficiency of public sector health funding, 26.5% of the general public thought that resources were sufficient to meet all healthcare needs, compared with 40% of service providers. The belief that the public should be offered more opportunities to influence health resource allocation was held by 56% of the general public and 75% of service providers. More than half of the respondents from both groups believed that the policy on sending patients abroad was expensive, misused, and politically driven. Almost 64% of the general public stated that the provision of private health insurance for retirees was a ‘good’ policy, while only 34% of service providers agreed with this statement. This study showed similarities and differences between the general public and health service providers’ preferences. Both groups showed a preference for treating the young rather than the old. The general public preferred more expensive health services that had immediate effects rather than health promotion activities with delayed benefits and health services for the elderly. These findings suggest that the general public may not accept common allocative efficiency improvements in public health spending unless the challenges in this sector and the gains from reallocation are clearly communicated.

Digital Divide in Advanced Smart City Innovations

A smart city aims to become a citizen-centered city where citizens actively engage in urban operation and share urban data within a high-tech ICT infrastructure. It premises ‘smart citizens’ who can understand and utilize digital technology to adapt well to the various infrastructure of smart cities. In reality, however, not only tech-savvy citizens but those who are not likely to coexist in a smart city. Disadvantaged groups with relatively insufficient awareness and the necessity of technologies might be excluded from smart cities’ various benefits. The smart city innovations need to encompass diverse social groups’ engagements to claim their legitimacy and sustainability from a long-term perspective. In this light, this study examines the potential digital divide in the advanced technologies used in the emerging 5G smart city era. Using survey data, we investigate if the smart citizens’ social and technical readiness in terms of the use experience and necessity of new technologies can predict the adoption and use of the emerging 5G smart city innovations. The empirical results from this study can inform the digital divide between the general public and technology-disadvantaged groups. The findings can also guide policymakers in prioritizing technologies that are accessible and beneficial to all potential residents of smart cities in the future. Finally, the results yield specific policy implications for practitioners who design more inclusive and sustainable smart cities in the 5G era.

Linking pre- and post-adoption records for research in anonymised form in a data safe haven: legal implications and support for a social licence.

IntroductionThe long-term health and wellbeing of adoptees is under-researched. One reason for this has been limited data accessibility regarding the adoption process, and another is a practice common in some UK jurisdictions of changing the National Health Service (NHS) number (or equivalent) at adoption, as part of creating the new identity. The SAIL Databank holds data on child and family court cases from Cafcass Cymru, together with children’s social care data, and can link these with routine health and administrative data in anonymised form. However, because the linkage key at SAIL is based on an encryption of the NHS number, working with pre- and post-adoption records for longitudinal research remains a major challenge. We set out to explore the legal implications of, and social support for, linking these records for use in anonymised form for longitudinal research.MethodsWe reviewed the main legislation and regulations governing the use of data about adoptees in England and Wales. We gauged support for a social licence in Wales by carrying out interviews with individuals who had been involved in the adoptions process, and by engaging with general public groups for their views. We drew out the main emerging themes and, in combination with the review, propose a way forward.ResultsThe legal review indicated that there are provisions in the Family Procedure Rules (England and Wales) and the General Data Protection Regulation that can be relied upon for the lawful processing of adoption data into anonymised form for research. The main points of concern about linking pre- and post-adoption records were privacy, data security, the need to limit the number of organisations involved in data sharing, and re-identification risk. The over-riding message was favourable with longitudinal research seen as strongly beneficial.ConclusionThis study has indicated that in Wales, there is no legal impediment, nor major objection from individuals involved in the adoptions process, or members of the general public, for the use of adoption data in anonymised form in a data safe haven. This includes the linkage of pre- and post-adoption records to enable novel longitudinal research to take place. The provisos were that robust safeguards must be in place, and that the research should aim to benefit adoptees and to improve policy and practice. We conclude that it is reasonable to proceed with caution to develop practical ways to link pre- and post-adoption records in a data safe haven.

Tilting at Windmills: Why Attacks on Repression Are Misguided

In the November 2019 issue of Perspectives, Otgaar et al. argued that the “memory wars” persist and that “the controversial issue of repressed memories is alive and well and may even be on the rise” (p. 1072). Their thesis overlooked the well-established consensus that recovered memories of trauma may be genuine, false, or a mixture of the two and instead focused on a disputed mechanism: unconscious repression. A formal cocitation analysis identified the major publications mentioning repressed memories, but none endorsed a theory of unconscious repression. Studies of beliefs about repressed memories by the general public and other groups do not support Otgaar et al.’s thesis either because these studies did not adequately assess the key ideas defining the theory of repression. Clinical evidence is consistent with recovered memories occurring in many different forms of therapy, including ones that do not use suggestive techniques or rely on the concept of repression. Thus, Otgaar et al. have proposed the existence of a problem for which little objective evidence can be found. Continuing theoretical uncertainties about the mechanisms responsible for forgetting are less important than the general recognition since the 1990s that suggestive therapy and attempts to exhume memories are hazardous and generally inappropriate.

Health information needs regarding diabetes mellitus in China: an internet-based analysis

BackgroundToday,. most people use the Internet to seek online health-related information from general public health-related websites and discussion groups. However, there are no Internet-based analyses of health information needs pertaining to diabetes in China until now. With the development of artificial intelligence,we can analyzed these online health-related information and provide references for health providers to improve their health service.MethodsWe have done a study of statistically analyzing the questions about diabetes collected from 39 health website, the number of which is 151,589. We have divided these questions into 9 categories using a convolutional neural network.ResultsThe diabetes problems of consumer are presented as follows, diagnosis: 34.95%, treatment: 25.17%, lifestyle: 21.09%, complication: 8.00%, maternity-related:5.00%, prognosis: 2.59%, health provider choosing: 1.40%, prevention: 1.23%, others: 0.58%, The elderly are more concerned about the treatment and complications of diabetes, while the young are more concerned about the maternity-related and prognosis of diabetes. The diabetes drugs most frequently mentioned by consumers are insulin, metformin and Xiaoke pills, The most concerned complication is caidiovascular disease and diabetic eye disease.ConclusionDiabetes health education should focus on how to prevent diabetes and the contents of health education should be different for differernt age groups;on diabetes treatment, the use of insulin and oral hypoglycemic drugs education should be strengthened.

바로서기 시 자세안정성에 대한 생체기반 운동명령신호의 탐구

This study is to investigate the motor unit’s exercise command signal using kinematic variables in the posture control of the human body. This study is divided into four types of postures (two foot stance, main single-leg stance, secondary single-leg stance, eyes closed main single-leg stance), divided into athlete group and general public group. As a result of performing FFT transformation of EEG signal, the following conclusions were obtained.<BR> First, there was a statistically significant difference in time series data (CoP, Torque, EEG) in postural stability between two groups according to the posture style. Second, significant differences were found in the frequency series data by FFT transform in the postural stability between two groups according to the posture style. Third, the brain nervous system and musculoskeletal activation were detected in the vicinity of the frequency band of RM (rambling), which is a bio-signal as a motor unit’s system, and significant differences were found as the difficulty of each posture increased.<BR> In particular, significant differences were found in proportion to the difficulty of the posture type in the main frequency and the maximum output values between the two groups. These results suggest that EEG exercise command directly affects posture control. In conclusion, it was found that exercise command signal is involved in intentional postural control of human body as an exercise unit between EEG signal and musculoskeletal signal.

Bushfire smoke: urgent need for a national health protection strategy.

This research was undertaken with support from the Australian National University College of Health and Medicine, and the assistance of resources from the Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research (CAR). We used the CAR Data and Analysis Technology platform (https://cardat.github.io) to analyse data

Acceptability and consensus for the management of game and non-game crop raiders

Abstract ContextWild boars (Sus scrofa) and European badgers (Meles meles) have been increasingly implicated in crop damage in Greece. The species’ increasing presence on agricultural land has also raised concern about disease transmission to livestock and humans. Greece does not have any plans for the management of these situations, because they have only recently emerged. Understanding public preferences for management strategies is necessary for the successful implementation of management plans. AimsTo survey residents of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, north-eastern Greece, to understand variation between stakeholder groups in preferences for the management of wild boars and European badgers in different scenarios. MethodsData were collected from on-site face-to-face surveys (n=585), between September and November 2017. Respondents, assigned to one of general public, farmers, hunters and farmer-hunter groups, were asked to rate their acceptability of wild boar and European badger management strategies under four conflict scenarios: wild boars and European badgers raid crops and transfer disease. Key resultsStakeholders preferred less invasive strategies for the management of crop raiders, although they accepted lethal control in the more severe disease-transmission scenarios. Potential for conflict was higher for non-lethal control in the crop-raiding scenarios and for lethal control in the disease-transmission scenarios. Farmers and farmer-hunters were the groups more strongly supporting management strategies in all scenarios. Hunters were more reluctant to accept the reduction in numbers of a game species (i.e. the wild boar) than of a non-game species (i.e. the European badger). ConclusionsVariation in the acceptability of and consensus for wild boar and European badger management strategies was considerable, both among and within groups. ImplicationsFindings are a critical guide for the design of a conflict-management process aimed at reaching consensus for proper management strategies. This would allow for the successful management of human conflicts over wildlife.

Comparing Public and Provider Preferences for Setting Healthcare Priorities: Evidence From Kuwait

As attempts are made to allocate health resources more efficiently, understanding the acceptability of these changes is essential. This study aims to compare the priorities of the public with those of health service providers in Kuwait. It also aims to compare the perceptions of both groups regarding key health policies in the country. Members of the general public and a sample of health service providers, including physicians, dentists, nurses, and technicians, were randomly selected to complete a structured, self-administered questionnaire. They were asked to rank health services by their perceived importance, rank preferred sources of additional health funding, and share their perceptions of the current allocation of health resources, including current healthcare spending choices and the adequacy of total resources allocated to healthcare. They were also asked for their perception of the current local policies on sending patients abroad for certain types of treatments and the policy of providing private health insurance for retirees. The response rate was above 75% for both groups. A higher tax on cigarettes was preferred by 73% of service providers as a source of additional funding for healthcare services, while 59% of the general public group chose the same option. When asked about the sufficiency of public sector health funding, 26.5% of the general public thought that resources were sufficient to meet all healthcare needs, compared with 40% of service providers. The belief that the public should be offered more opportunities to influence health resource allocation was held by 56% of the general public and 75% of service providers. More than half of the respondents from both groups believed that the policy on sending patients abroad was expensive, misused, and politically driven. Almost 64% of the general public stated that the provision of private health insurance for retirees was a ‘good’ policy, while only 34% of service providers agreed with this statement. This study showed similarities and differences between the general public and health service providers’ preferences. Both groups showed a preference for treating the young rather than the old. The general public preferred more expensive health services that had immediate effects rather than health promotion activities with delayed benefits and health services for the elderly. These findings suggest that the general public may not accept common allocative efficiency improvements in public health spending unless the challenges in this sector and the gains from reallocation are clearly communicated.

Exploring views on communal amenities and well-being in housing for seniors in Taiwan

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to learn views from healthcare practitioners and the general public for housing communal amenities that could best support senior well-being for ageing in place. The literature review identified 30 popular communal amenities and was tested via a questionnaire survey conducted in Taiwan. Participants (N = 759) evaluated the importance level of the proposed amenities with five-point Likert scale. Data were analysed with Friedman Ranking Test and Kruskal–Wallis test. Results showed that both respondent groups placed outdoor open space, trail and garden with seat as top three important amenities, where outdoor and multifunction were the spatial and functional qualities. While the general public believed physical category amenities were more important, healthcare practitioners put emphasis on social and spiritual categories. Within the general public group, respondents aged 65 years and older had different views than younger respondents on dog run area, BBQ areas and video game room. Swimming pool and religious space were viewed as an important amenity by respondents from different regions. It was concluded that in Taiwan, views may differ with upbringing and cultural backgrounds, residing regions and age. The initial findings can assist policymakers, real estate developers and designers for decision-making in future housing projects.

VILLAGE RESOURCES BASED COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

Community development program being implemented in some villages in Indonesia has been running long enough; even some villages have managed to put together a program to reduce poverty with the help of a facilitator appointed by the national program of empowerment community. The preparation program should involve the participation of the community, especially the poor, but in fact much more dominated by the facilitators with limited understanding of the whole village resources. Therefore, program that had been developed theoretically feasible, but in practice still requires a deeper study. This study will try to complement poverty reduction programs in West Cileunyi village based on community empowerment through village resources. To assess the resources of the village could be the basis of empowerment and community expectations about future conditions used qualitative analysis, whereas to determine the priority of community empowerment programs used quantitative analysis with the approach of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Based on the excellent resources of village were identified, the community development program disaggregated by specific target group. The result were: assisting management, innovation, and entrepreneurship to the industry and business owners target group, preservation of the environment for the target group of farmers and farmer groups, motivation to work for the target group drop out of the labor force, an increase in the ability of the administration to the target group of village officials, and the importance of social capital for the general public target group. &#x0D; Keywords: community empowerment program, priorities, target groups, village resources

The Influence of Information Acceptance on Information Use Performance in the Case of Vulnerable Classes

This study analyzed the effect of information acceptance on the information use performance for the vulnerable groups. The sample group was classified into general public group and vulnerable groups residing in Korea, and the vulnerable groups were divided into the disabled, the low - income group, the elderly group and the farmers. The characteristics of the vulnerable groups were selected by the competence level, use motive, and use attitudes and the correlation between each factor and use utilization was analyzed. In all groups, the use motive and the use attitude showed a strong positive correlation with the use performance of .682. In particular, the information use attitude and the information use performance were closely related. The correlation between the use attitude and use performance of the vulnerable groups were investigated in the order of lower grade (.695), farmers &amp; fishermen (.688), elderly (.674), and disabled (.672). In conclusion, this study shows that if use attitude is high, use performance is high. Therefore, in order to expand the acceptance of information on vulnerable groups, various programs that can increase the use attitude of information should be introduced. Through this, it was found that the vulnera-ble groups could induce the use attitude of information and the satisfaction of the use performance, and ultimately the digital information divide could be reduced by improving the information acceptance of the vulnerable groups. This study has limitations in securing various contents of inquiry based on questionnaire survey. It is necessary to analyze various factors besides factors selected as environmental fac-tors of information acceptance as characteristics of vulnerable groups.

Making Health Work for Peace in Humanitarian Situations

From the time of Florence Nightingale, humanitarian health and aid workers have dedicated themselves to the welfare of patients outside of their own communities, nobly sacrificing their own safety, economic well being, mental health, and sometimes even life. They witness and deal with the human consequences of violent conflict and care for those that are directly affected by it. Dedicated humanitarian professionals such as Albert Schweitzer, Henri Dunant, founder of the Red Cross, and James Orbinski, representing Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), all accepted Nobel Peace Prizes for such work. The primary mission during natural and “human-made” disasters may be to assist persons in need, to shine a ray of hope, and to create humanitarian space, but health professionals in particular, are also potentially in influential positions to promote peace. With their direct involvement in healing they have a certain credibility with the global community, which can contribute to their influence as advocates for peace, whether through raising awareness of relevant issues with the general public or specific interest groups, or by influencing decision makers directly.

‘Nosce te ipsum’: An Italian national survey to explore choice's differences in End of Life (EoL) care between healthcare professionals and general public

BackgroundThe current debate regarding decision-making at the End-of-Life (EoL) is increasing remarkably and has spread all over the world. However, literature has paid little attention to describe choice's differences in EoL care between healthcare professionals and general public. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to explore the difference between choices in EoL care made by healthcare professionals and those of the general public within the Italian context. Setting and participantsIn 2017, an Italian widespread survey was conducted using a snowball sampling. A total of 2038 participants completed the survey, 55.64% of which were the general public. ResultsThe main differences related to specific EoL choices made by healthcare professionals and the general public. In particular, healthcare professionals were more likely to avoid cardiopulmonary resuscitation and mechanical forms of breathing in terminal-stage conditions, and they were also more likely to be favorable towards the use of opioids to avoid suffering. Overall, healthcare professionals were also more likely to make a choice rather than express a ‘not sure’ answer. ConclusionThe higher percentage of participants in the general public group that chose ‘not sure’ highlighted the importance of addressing and enhancing people's self-awareness. More cross-national investigation should help to frame the understanding of the choice's differences in EoL care between healthcare professionals and general public.

Abstract 134: Patients’ Perspectives on Enrollment in Research Using the Exception From Informed Consent: An Integrated Survey

Introduction: Relatively minimal data exist regarding perspectives of patients (or surrogate decision-makers) after enrollment in clinical trials using the exception from informed consent (EFIC) for emergency research, a regulation essential for resuscitation research. Prior studies have shown that attitudes are generally positive but have enrolled a small proportion of participants and may have been subject to selection bias. Methods: As part of the study protocol, a 10-item paper-and-pencil survey was integrated into the protocol for all sites of the Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial (ESETT) trial, a randomized trial of three treatments for benzodiazepine-refractory status epilepticus in pediatric and adult patients. All patients (or surrogate) were given the survey after being asked for consent to continue in ESETT. Primary domains included acceptance of trial enrollment, acceptance of EFIC, and views on which population to include in community consultation. Response items primarily used a 5-point Likert scale. Simple descriptive statistics were tabulated. Results: In total, 317 of 443 patients/surrogates completed the survey (71.6% response). Only 7.3% (23/317) disagreed with the statement “I am glad that my family member/I was included in the ESETT research study,” and 24.9% (79/317) disagreed with being included under EFIC. When asked whom researchers should consult during community consultation, 81.1% (257/317) said patients who have had seizures, 64.7% (205/317) said their family members, and individuals at particular risk for seizures (50.8%) (161/317) were most frequently chosen. Only 26.5% (84/317) felt that members of the general public should be consulted. Conclusions: This is the largest study to date of participants’ perspectives on being enrolled in an EFIC trial. Rates of enrollment acceptance were relatively high; acceptance of EFIC specifically was slightly lower. There is much greater support for consulting individuals with connections to the disease under study than the general public or other groups. These findings further suggest that targeted community consultation may be appropriate and the importance of clear communication with participants after enrollment regarding reasons for EFIC use.

Attitudes to meatless meals

PurposeAdopting meat reduction strategies within the UK is fundamental to limiting environmental damage and achieving public health benefits. This paper aims to compare the attitudes to adopting meat reduction strategies within the general population and people with a link to agriculture to understand attitudes to meat reduction.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional self-administered questionnaires were disseminated using online fora, community groups and by attending agricultural marts. Questionnaire development was informed by current literature, and structured around four theoretical domains: knowledge, social/cultural influences, beliefs about consequences and intentions to change and a food frequency questionnaire for meat consumption. Inclusion criteria were people > 18 years, living in the North East of Scotland. In total, 470 adult participants, from within the North East of Scotland, were recruited. The study population was divided into two groups, individuals with a link to the agricultural economy (n = 174) and the general public (n = 296).FindingsThe general public group were more willing than the agricultural community to adopt meatless meals (or were doing so) [55.1% (n = 162) vs 28.1% (n = 49), p < 0.001]. Barriers to change included habit, limited choice when eating out, resistance of family members, lack of information, income related to meat consumption and the status of meat within a meal. Men were less likely to choose meatless meals than women (23.8%, n = 36, vs 55.1%, n = 176, p < 0.001).Originality/valueMeat reduction strategies should be tailored appropriately to population groups, with an understanding of social and political drivers, and further studies investigating barriers within the agricultural economy are warranted.

The development and psychometric properties of the bipolar disorders knowledge scale.

PurposeBipolar Disorder (BD) presents in 1–4% of the world's population, carrying significant financial and functional consequences. Beyond the direct disease burden, patients with BD experience a high degree of both internal and external stigma. Additionally, medication adherence tends to be poor in patients with BD. Knowledge appears to play a role in mitigating both stigma and non-adherence, but these relationships have not been fully elucidated. The Bipolar Disorder Knowledge Scale (BDKS) was designed to explore the role of knowledge and better define such relationships. This research provides the evidence for the reliability and validity of the scale. MethodsForty-seven items were developed to assess knowledge of BD. The 47-item survey was sent out to two groups: first a group of 43 pharmacists with BCPP credentials from the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) who were recruited from the CPNP directory, and second a group of 250 members of the general public who were recruited using Qualtrics Online Sample service. Participants were surveyed on their education status, health literacy, BD diagnostic status, and exposure to patients with BD. Participants then completed the 47-item scale. After 48 h 100 members from the original general public group were sent the same survey to assess test-retest reliability. For each item a difficulty index to evaluate how well participants performed on the item and a discrimination index to determine how well each item performed in high-scorers versus low scorers were calculated. Additionally, Cronbach's alpha was calculated to determine internal consistency validity and a Pearson correlation was run to determine test-retest reliability. Items were removed based on the results from the difficulty index, discrimination index, and Cronbach's alpha. Finally the pharmacist final scores were compared to the general public using an unpaired t-test to assess whether content experts were more likely to perform better on the scale. Following item removal, the scale was finalized at 25-items. ResultsThe mean score for the scale was 34.48 (71.83%; SD: 5.50) and the Cronbach's alpha was 0.773 before item analysis. Following item analysis, 22 items were dropped leaving 25 items on the final version of the scale. The remaining items retained a difficulty index below 90% and a discrimination index above 20%. The mean of the 25-item scale was 18.40 (73.6%; SD: 4.13) for the general public and 23.20 (92.8%; SD: 1.36) for the pharmacists group (p < 0.001). The Cronbach's alpha for the finalized scale was 0.760, indicating a high-degree of internal consistency. While this is lower than the original alpha, this may be explained by the reduced number of scale items. A 25-item scale is much more practical and the items on the scale retain stronger item analysis statistics. Finally, the Pearson Correlation for the group who underwent the test-retest procedure was 0.841 (p < 0.001) indicating strong test-retest reliability. ConclusionThe BDKS is a 25-item true-false scale that takes approximately 5–10 min to complete. The scale assesses knowledge of BD with items targeting diagnosis, etiology, disease course, symptoms, treatment, and life impact. The scale has shown strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability in a general population and will be useful for evaluating knowledge of BD as it relates to stigma, non-adherence, and other variables.