Perception Of Health Hazards Research Articles

Consumer’s Perception of Health and Environmental Hazards of Pesticide use in Conventional Vegetables

In this paper we use a logit model to analyze consumers’ perceptions of health and environmental hazards of pesticides residues in daily consumed vegetables. Perception of health hazards can be predicted by consumers’ age, belief of presence of residues in consumed vegetables, frequency of consumption. Age and gender were found to be the main predictors of consumers’ environmental concerns with female more likely to be concerned.

Factors predicting willingness to quit snus and cigarette use among young males

The health hazards of smoking are well recognised and recently knowledge about the harmful effects of nicotine and snus is accumulating. We investigated the factors increasing the willingness of young Finnish males to quit snus and cigarette smoking. We conducted a questionnaire study conducted in 3 out of 16 Finnish Defence Forces units which included 6508 male conscripts, of whom 4706 responded (response rate 72%, mean age 19.4 years). Factors related to the willingness to quit use were analysed by ordinal regression models. Backward selection following the Akaike information criterion (AIC) was used for the model. The prevalence figures of daily snus use and smoking were 17% and 25%, respectively. 16% of the daily snus users were also daily smokers and 29% were occasional smokers. Multivariate analysis showed that the willingness to quit snus use was associated with the perception of health hazards (OR 3.09, 95% CI 1.94–4.93) and with ≥ 2 quit attempts (OR 3.63, 95% CI 2.44–5.40). The willingness to quit smoking was associated with ≥ 2 quit attempts (OR 3.22, 95% CI 2.32–4.49), and with advice to quit smoking (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.17–2.32). We created a brief two-question assessment model for snus dependence. With this model, nicotine dependence of daily snus users was congruent with that of nicotine dependence of smokers. A direct comparison with serum cotinine levels is necessary before our assessment model can be used as a proxy for dependence. Regular snus use predisposes to nicotine addiction and accumulated health hazards. Our findings underscore the importance of health promotion efforts in early adolescence and of active support for quitting snus use. Easily applicable tools to estimate nicotine addiction are needed for everyday clinical use.

Awareness of mobile phone hazards among university students in a Malaysian medical school

This paper seeks to examine the awareness of potential health hazards by using mobile phone among AIMST (Asian Institute of Medical science and technology) University students. This is a cross-sectional survey conducted by distributing ‘perception questionnaire’. Perception of health hazards and outcomes were compared by gender, age, course of study, preferred ear, number of calls and SMS daily, the brand of mobile phone and use of mobile phone accessory (Bluetooth and hands free). The overall perception of mobile phone hazard in AIMST university student was 62%.Most subjects agreed that mobile phone usage can cause headache, loss of mental attention and sleeping disturbances and most disagree that mobile phone usage can cause constipation and diarrhea. Out of the 124 subjects who were aware of the side effects, 5% of the males and 10% of the females felt that there was no need to minimize the unwanted effects. The paper is useful to the general population particularly to the students as the perceived health risk did not significantly deter students from using mobile phone. The reasons given by students for the continued usage of mobile phone in spite of their awareness of the associated hazards have been discussed. This study offers new insight into level of awareness and perception of mobile phone hazard among University students.

Rethinking the Scope of Environmental Injustice: Perceptions of Health Hazards in a Rural Native American Community Exposed to Carbon Black

Abstract We use in‐depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis to examine perceptions of environmental health and justice among Native Americans in a rural Oklahoma community. Residents live near the Continental Carbon Company, which manufactures a rubber compound know as “carbon black.” Ponca tribal members believe their respiratory problems and other health concerns are directly related to the black dust emanating from the facility, but they have been unable to validate their health claims through institutional channels. We examine how Native American respondents interpret the environmental pollution as a threat not only to their health and well‐being but also to their sense of community. We address the perceived pattern of institutional denial and highlight the obstacles facing an impoverished Native American community attempting to validate their environmental health claims.

Public perception of population health risks in Canada: health hazards and health outcomes

The focus of this article is a descriptive account of the perceptions of five health hazards (motor vehicles, climate change, recreational physical activity, cellular phones, and terrorism) and five health outcomes (cancer, long-term disabilities, asthma, heart disease, and depression) from a recent survey of 1503 Canadians. In an attempt to shed light on factors that influence risk perception in Canada, the extent to which these exemplars are perceived as high in risk and controllability, as well as the extent to which knowledge and uncertainty surrounding them is high, was examined. The degree to which these exemplars are deemed acceptable and generate worry among Canadians was also examined. Variation was observed in the extent to which different health hazards and outcomes are perceived on the various dimensions. Perceptions of health hazards and outcomes also vary significantly by gender, age, and education. Findings are compared to existing research on risk perception.

Perceptions of health hazards in the narratives of Italian migrant workers at an Australian asbestos mine (1943–1966)

This article reconstructs how workers perceived asbestos hazards, using narratives from a group of migrant workers at the crocidolite mine of Wittenoom Gorge, Western Australia. The mine employed about 7000 workers over the entire period of its operation from 1943 to 1966—relying heavily on migrant workers. The exposure to asbestos dust caused a huge number of occupational respiratory diseases in workers, leading Wittenoom later to be labelled as a modern industrial disaster. Fieldwork involved 137 interviews with Italians who had worked at Wittenoom. They constituted 18% of the mine's work-force and were employed as miners or millers between 1951 and 1966. We interviewed workers who had returned to Italy, relatives of Italian workers now deceased, and workers who had settled in Australia. The results confirm the seriousness of the occupational exposure to asbestos and the weaknesses of the health surveillance program. Although workers were given no health-related information, they felt they were at risk and left the job as soon as possible. From the early 1950s onward, some of the workers became aware of a long-term connection between work at Wittenoom and lung illnesses that required hospitalisation and caused deaths. However, up to the early 1960s, workers at the mine were led to believe that the respiratory disease spreading among them was tuberculosis.

Perception of urban health hazards: examples from Lusaka, Zambia

Perception of urban health hazards may vary in different areas and in different communities. An attempt has been made in this paper to study variations in the urban health hazard perception in two different residential areas in Lusaka. People were asked to identify most hazardous and somewhat hazardous factors from among factors such as road accidents, water pollution, poor water supply system, air pollution, problems of transportation, overcrowding, poor sanitation and lack of recreational facilities. An analysis of data reveals that there are variations in the people's perception of health hazards. This variation is no doubt related with the socio‐economic background, occupational structure and the geography of the particular areas. It is hoped that such studies based on local field work may contribute significantly in urban health care planning.