Influence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak of 2016 on poultry meat consumption

Between November 2016 and April 2017, 240 H5N8 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been registered in Hungary resulting in the culling of 3.45 million poultry. Aiming at the prevention of the reoccurrence of the public scare experienced in regard of the H5N1 outbreak in 2006, in 2016 a more proactive and responsive communication activity has been implemented, which resulted in a total of 1661 media appearances. For consistent and credible information, all press inquiries were answered by the Chief Veterinary Officer of Hungary, and journalists received the requested information usually within 8 hours. In order to understand how effective communication methods help to stop decrease of poultry meat consumption, determinative factors according to consumer risk perception and changes in poultry meat consumption were identified. Analysis of the consumer survey conducted in 2016 showed that education and gender were the most important socio-demographic variables, though poultry consumption was almost completely undisturbed. The results of the 2016 consumer survey were compared to a corresponding dataset published on the 2006 avian influenza public scare, which showed 12.6% increase in the number of those respondents, who have not changed their consumption behaviour due to avian influenza

Consumers's Willingness to Pay for Avoiding Salmonella Infection

Salmonellosis is a widely known infectious disease in Hungary that played dominant role between 1960 and 1996 and remained one of the top food-borne illnesses to these days with an estimated total number of 96 048 cases (2019). Beside direct costs of treatment, indirect costs are also significant on the level of population. Among indirect costs, consumer well-being losses are difficult to be estimated. For this purpose, the willingness to pay (WTP) method is used most frequently that measures the cost an individual would undertake to avoid a certain harm. For the well-being loss estimation, the data of National Food Chain Safety Authority's annual consumer survey was used, in which 323 respondents gave evaluable answer to the open-ended WTP question. Results indicate that an average respondent would pay 18.6 EUR to avoid salmonellosis. Main factors affecting WTP were size of family and number of children. The numbers indicate that the consumer well-being loss could be about 1 786 060 EUR annually, resulting from the multiplication of the estimated number of annual salmonellosis cases and the average WTP value. It can be concluded that consumer well-being losses alone would call for further interventions in Salmonella eradication, not to mention other – more direct – cost elements

Effect of a short message service (SMS) intervention on adherence to a physiotherapist-prescribed home exercise program for people with knee osteoarthritis and obesity: protocol for the ADHERE randomised controlled trial

Background Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent condition. People with knee OA often have other co-morbidities such as obesity. Exercise is advocated in all clinical guidelines for the management of knee OA. It is often undertaken as a home-based program, initially prescribed by a physiotherapist or other qualified health care provider. However, adherence to home-based exercise is often poor, limiting its ability to meaningfully change clinical symptoms of pain and/or physical function. While the efficacy of short message services (SMS) to promote adherence to a range of health behaviours has been demonstrated, its ability to promote home exercise adherence in people with knee OA has not been specifically evaluated. Hence, this trial is investigating whether the addition of an SMS intervention to support adherence to prescribed home-based exercise is more effective than no SMS on self-reported measures of exercise adherence. Methods We are conducting a two-arm parallel-design, assessor-and participant-blinded randomised controlled trial (ADHERE) in people with knee OA and obesity. The trial is enrolling participants exiting from another randomised controlled trial, the TARGET trial, where participants are prescribed a 12-week home-based exercise program (either weight bearing functional exercise or non-weight bearing quadriceps strengthening exercise) for their knee by a physiotherapist and seen five times over the 12 weeks for monitoring and supervision. Following completion of outcome measures for the TARGET trial, participants are immediately enrolled into the ADHERE trial. Participants are asked to continue their prescribed home exercise program unsupervised three times a week for 24-weeks and are randomly allocated to receive a behaviour change theory-informed SMS intervention to support home exercise adherence or to have no SMS intervention. Outcomes are measured at baseline and 24-weeks. Primary outcomes are self-reported adherence measures. Secondary outcomes include self-reported measures of knee pain, physical function, quality-of-life, physical activity, self-efficacy, kinesiophobia, pain catastrophising, participant-perceived global change and an additional adherence measure. Discussion Findings will provide new information into the potential of SMS to improve longer-term exercise adherence and ultimately enhance exercise outcomes in knee OA

Are objective measures of sleep and sedentary behaviours related to low back pain flares?

Final peer-reviewed manuscript[Abstract] Risk factors for low back pain (LBP) flares have been considered about self-reported measures. This case–crossover study aimed to investigate whether (1) objective measures of physical activity and sleep were associated with the risk of experiencing LBP flares and (2) these associations differed for flares defined as pain 2 or more points greater than average pain over the period using an 11-point Numerical rating scale (0-no pain and 10-worst pain imaginable) (pain-defined flare: PDF) and flares identified by participants according to a broader definition that considered emotions or coping (self-reported flare [SRF]). We included 126 participants who had experienced LBP for >3 months. Physical activity and sleep were monitored for 28 days using wearable sensors. Occurrence of flares (PDF or SRF) was assessed daily using a smartphone application. Data on exposure to risk factors 1, 2, and 3 days preceding PDF or SRF were compared with nonflare control periods. Conditional logistic regression determined association between each factor and flares. Data show that day-to-day variation in physical activity and in-bed time are associated with the risk of LBP flares, but associations differ depending on how flare is defined. Longer in-bed time increased the risk of PDF but not SRF. Although physical activity was not associated with the risk of PDF, greater sedentary behaviour increased the risk of SRF and being more physically active decreased the risk for SRF. These results highlight the potential role of targeting sleep and physical activity in interventions to prevent LBP flares and indicate that risk factors differ depending on how LBP flares are defined.Centre of Research Excellence (Australia); APP1091302Centre of Research Excellence (Australia); APP1079078National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia; PH—APP1102905National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia; MF—APP114359

Effectiveness of Switching Smoking-Cessation Medications Following Relapse

Introduction—Nicotine dependence is a chronic disorder often characterized by multiple failed quit attempts (QAs). Yet, little is known about the sequence of methods used across multiple QAs or how this may impact future ability to abstain from smoking. This prospective cohort study examines the effectiveness of switching smoking-cessation medications (SCMs) across multiple QAs. Methods—Adult smokers (aged ≥ 18 years) participating in International Tobacco Control surveys in the United Kingdom, U.S., Canada, and Australia (N=795) who: (1) completed two consecutive surveys between 2006 and 2011; (2) initiated a QA at least 1 month before each survey; and (3) provided data for the primary predictor (SCM use during most recent QA), outcome (1-month point prevalence abstinence), and relevant covariates. Analyses were conducted in 2016. Results—Five SCM user classifications were identified: (1) non-users (43.5%); (2) early users (SCM used for initial, but not subsequent QA; 11.4%); (3) later users (SCM used for subsequent, but not initial QA; 18.4%); (4) repeaters (same SCM used for both QAs; 10.7%); and (5) switchers (different SCM used for each QA; 14.2%). Abstinence rates were lower for non-users (15.9%, OR=0.48, p=0.002), early users (16.6%, OR=0.27, p=0.03), and repeaters (12.4%, OR=0.36, p=0.004) relative to switchers (28.5%). Conclusions—Findings suggest smokers will be more successful if they use a SCM in QAs and vary the SCM they use across time. That smokers can increase their odds of quitting by switching SCMs is an important message that could be communicated to smokers