Prevalence Of Claims Research Articles

Type and prevalence of nutrition-related claims on alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages

ObjectiveTo examine the extent of nutrition-related claims on ready-to-drink (RTD) alcohol products to provide insights into the types and prevalence of claims across the category. MethodsProduct type, alcohol content, and presence/type of nutrition-related claims (n=491) information was collected, March-May 2022. Chi-square analyses with pairwise z-tests were used to identify differences in claim prevalence by product type. Spearman’s correlation was used to assess the relationship between alcohol content and number of claims. ResultsApproximately half (52%) of RTDs displayed at least one claim, with the most common claims referring to naturalness (32%), sugar- (31%), and energy-content (32%). Hard seltzers displayed the most claims (96%, M=3.4 claims/product, SD=1.6). There was a moderate negative correlation between alcohol content and number of claims (r =-.43, p<.001). ConclusionResults show the extensive use of nutrition-related claims on RTDs in Australia, particularly for hard seltzers. Implications for public healthNutrition-related claims have the potential to mislead consumers about the healthiness of alcohol products and more stringent regulation of nutrition-related claims is needed.

The prevalence of claims under the JBCC Principal Building Agreement in South Africa

The JBCC Principal Building Agreement is the foremost building contract in South Africa, with claims being a regular custom in construction projects where the agreement is used. This study therefore focused on South African construction industry role-players and sought to discover the regularity of claim events under the JBCC Principal Building Agreement. The study adopted a quantitative research approach with an online structured questionnaire being completed by 380 respondents consisting of principal agent practitioners and contractors in South Africa. Descriptive statistics were then used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that the most recurrent claim events are the execution of additional work, contract instructions, and adverse weather. The claim events that occur the least are insolvency of a nominated subcontractor, suspension or termination by a subcontractor due to a default by the employer, and force majeure. The study has therefore recognized and closed the knowledge gap regarding the regularity of claims under the JBCC Principal Building Agreement in South Africa. Principal agents should now be aware of the extent of claims under the agreement, which would help them to prevent and manage these claims to avoid damages to contractual parties. Also, although the study was limited to South Africa, the findings should still be relevant for users of the agreement in neighbouring countries.

Child-Directed Marketing, Health Claims, and Nutrients in Popular Beverages

Fruit drinks are a major source of added sugar in children's diets. This study describes the associations between front-of-package child-directed marketing (i.e., sports, fantasy, or child-directed imagery; child-directed text) and (1) health-related claims and (2) nutrient content of fruit drinks, 100% juices, and flavored waters. Beverage purchase data from a national sample of 1,048 households with children aged 0-5 years were linked with front-of-package label and nutrition data to conduct a content analysis on fruit drinks (n=510), 100% juices (n=337), and noncarbonated flavored waters (n=40) in 2019-2020. Unstratified and stratified regression models assessed the differences in the prevalence of claims (macronutrient, micronutrient, natural/healthy, and fruit and juice), non-nutritive sweeteners, and nutrient content (calories, total sugar, and percent daily value of vitamin C) between drinks with and those without child-directed marketing in 2021. Fruit drinks with child-directed marketing were more likely to show front-of-package micronutrient claims (OR=2.1, 95% CI=1.5, 3.1) and contained more vitamin C (18.5% daily value, 95% CI=1.6, 35.5) than fruit drinks without child-directed marketing. 100% juices with child-directed marketing contained less vitamin C (-35.6% daily value, 95% CI= -57.5, -13.8) and 3.0 (95% CI= -5.5, -0.4) fewer grams of sugar than 100% juices without child-directed marketing. Flavored waters with child-directed marketing contained less vitamin C (-37.9% daily value, 95% CI= -68.1, -7.6) than flavored waters without child-directed marketing. The combination of child-directed marketing with health-related claims may mislead parents into believing that fruit drinks are healthy and appealing to their children, highlighting the need for government regulation of sugary drink marketing.

No Fat, No Sugar, No Salt . . . No Problem? Prevalence of “Low-Content” Nutrient Claims and Their Associations with the Nutritional Profile of Food and Beverage Purchases in the United States

BackgroundNutrient claims are a commonly used marketing tactic, but the association between claims and nutritional quality of products is unknown. The objective of this study was to examine trends in the proportion of packaged food and beverage purchases with a nutrient claim, whether claims are associated with improved nutritional profile, and whether the proportion of purchases with claims differs by race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status. MethodsThis cross-sectional study examined nutrient claims on more than 80 million food and beverage purchases from a transaction-level database of 40,000 US households from 2008 to 2012. χ2 Tests were used to examine whether the proportion of purchases with a low/no-content claim changed over time or differed by race/ethnicity or household socioeconomic status. Pooled transactions were examined using t-tests to compare products’ nutritional profiles overall and by food and beverage group. ResultsThirteen percent of food and 35% of beverage purchases had a low-content claim. Prevalence of claims among purchases did not change over time. Low-fat claims were most prevalent for both foods and beverages (10% and 19%, respectively), followed by low-calorie (3% and 9%), low-sugar (2% and 8%), and low-sodium (2% for both) claims. Compared to purchases with no claim, purchases with any low-content claim had lower mean energy, total sugar, total fat, and sodium densities. However, the association between particular claim types and specific nutrient densities varied substantially, and purchases featuring a given low-content claim did not necessarily offer better overall nutritional profiles or better profiles for the claimed nutrient, relative to products without claims. In addition, there was substantial heterogeneity in associations between claims and nutrient densities within food and beverage groups. ConclusionsVariations in nutrient density by claim type and food and beverage group suggests that claims may have differential utility for certain foods or nutrients and, in some cases, may mislead about the overall nutritional quality of the food.

The epidemiology of malpractice claims in primary care: a systematic review

ObjectivesThe aim of this systematic review was to examine the epidemiology of malpractice claims in primary care.DesignA computerised systematic literature search was conducted. Studies were included if they reported original...

Sickness benefit claims due to mental disorders in Brazil: associations in a population-based study

This study aims to determine the prevalence and duration of sickness benefit claims due to mental disorders and their association with economic activity, sex, age, work-relatedness and income replacement using a population-based study of sickness benefit claims (> 15 days) due to mental disorders in Brazil carried out in 2008. The prevalence of mental disorders was 45.1 claims per 10,000 workers. Prevalence and duration of sickness benefit claims due to mental disorder were higher and longer in workers aged over 40 years. Prevalence of claims was 73% higher in women but duration of sickness benefit claims was longer in men. Prevalence rates for claims differed widely according to economic activity, with sewage, residential care and programming and broadcasting activities showing the highest rates. Claims were deemed to be work-related in 8.5% of cases with mental disorder showing low work-relatedness in Brazil. A wide variation of prevalence and duration between age, economic activity and work-relatedness was observed, suggesting that working conditions are a more important factor in mental disorder work disability than previously assumed.

Psychiatric Diagnoses After Hospitalization With Work-Related Burn Injuries in Washington State

This study aims to describe workers who were hospitalized with work-related burn injuries and their psychiatric sequelae in Washington State. Psychiatric sequelae of interest were depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and other anxiety disorders. Workers' compensation claims meeting a definition for a hospitalized burn patient from Washington State from January 2001 through April 2008 were analyzed. The resulting claims were searched for the presence of certain psychiatric diagnoses or treatment codes, and descriptive analyses performed. In Washington State during the time period, the prevalence of claims with psychiatric diagnoses after hospitalization with burn injury was 19%. Claims with psychiatric diagnoses had higher medical costs and more days of time loss than those without these diagnoses. Workers with electrical burns in the construction industry and in construction and extraction occupations had a higher proportion of psychiatric sequelae. Burns are devastating yet preventable injuries. Workers who were hospitalized with work-related burn injuries, particularly those in certain industries and occupations and those with electrical burns, are at high risk for developing serious psychiatric sequelae with major costs to both the individual and the society.

Framing European integration in mediated public spheres: an increasing nationalization and contestation of European issues in party political communication?

This article proposes a claims-making analysis of party political communication over Europe in mediated public spheres in France, Ireland, the UK and Spain between 1993 and 2006. It demonstrates that office-seeking parties and especially the representatives of the executive power generally dominate Europeanized debates. In contrast, peripheral parties and other party actors such as party MPs and extra-parliamentary politicians face significant difficulties in obtaining visibility and resonance for their Europeanized frames. The empirical and longitudinal analysis also shows the prevalence of claims directed towards the EU level and of nationalized debates over Europe. Overall, even though critical engagements with Europe have progressed over time, the domination of mainstream parties and party actors in framing European integration and the pro-European consensus between office-seeking parties nevertheless limit the potential for contestation on European matters.

Duties of insurance brokers

In this brief paper the authors consider the duties owed by professional indemnity insurance brokers to their insured clients. Given the prevalence of claims for financial mis‐selling this is an important issue of concern to all authorised advisers. Any failure to obtain or maintain cover leading to uninsured loss will naturally attract the potential attention of the broker’s own insurers. The authors summarise what the law expects of brokers in standard situations.