Risk Behaviors for Domestic Foodborne Diseases among People Living with HIV in Beijing

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) are especially susceptible to foodborne disease (FBD). To avoid FBD, PLWH must be especially careful to follow hygienic practices when preparing, handling, and consuming foods. Yet not much is known about food safety practices globally among those infected with the virus, including in China where scientific knowledge of food safety is relatively new. Aims: To describe risky domestic food behaviors and to investigate possible key factors associated with those behaviors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 200 PLWH recruited from a Beijing hospital. Risky domestic food behaviors were assessed using responses to 22 food-related behavior questions on a Likert scale from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always). Scientific knowledge about risk behaviors was measured using 14 items that included 4 true/false items, 8 multiple-choice items and 2 fill-in-the-blank items. Beliefs/Preferences about the risky behaviors were assessed using responses to 13/14 questions on a Likert scale from 1 (Not at all) to 5 (A great deal). Self-perceived risk for acquiring FBD was measured using a Likert scale from 1 (Not at all likely) to 5 (Extremely likely). Self-perceived seriousness of acquiring FBD was measured using a Likert scale from 1 (Not at all serious) to 5 (Extremely serious). Logistic regression examined the associations between risk behaviors and possible key factors associated with those behaviors. Results: The mean score of risky domestic food behaviors is 52.23 (maximum possible score of 110). The final regression model explains 45.3% of the variance. Evidence was found to support: greater personal belief that risky domestic food behaviors can result in acquiring FBD will be associated with fewer risky behaviors, greater personal preference for engaging in risky domestic food behaviors will be associated with more risky behaviors. Conclusion: These findings from the study provide valuable knowledge for future health education on domestic food safety among PLWH in Beijing, China, by pointing to what information needs to be included in curricula designed to prevent disease transmission. For an educational intervention for PLWH to be effective, the results of this study suggest the need for strategies that encourage and/or reinforce PLWH’s positive cognitive attitudes toward and preferences for safer food behaviors

Histogram of forest fire occurrence data in the spring fire season from January to April between 1996 and 2007 in Qiannan autonomous prefecture of Guizhou province, China.

<p>Histogram of forest fire occurrence data in the spring fire season from January to April between 1996 and 2007 in Qiannan autonomous prefecture of Guizhou province, China.</p

Diagnostic plots for the Poisson mixture fixed-effects models and mixed-effects models. d_j is the difference between the predicted probability and the observed probability, as shown in Equation (7).

<p>Diagnostic plots for the Poisson mixture fixed-effects models and mixed-effects models. d_j is the difference between the predicted probability and the observed probability, as shown in Equation (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0120621#pone.0120621.e007" target="_blank">7</a>).</p

Parameter estimations and fit statistics for twelve models.

<p>Note: ** significant at 0.05 level,</p><p>* significant at 0.1 level.</p><p>Parameter estimations and fit statistics for twelve models.</p

Location of Qiannan autonomous prefecture in Guizhou province, China.

<p>Location of Qiannan autonomous prefecture in Guizhou province, China.</p

Meteorological variables during the spring fire season in Qiannan autonomous prefecture from 1996–2007.

<p>Meteorological variables during the spring fire season in Qiannan autonomous prefecture from 1996–2007.</p

The growth curve of the microbes

The growth curve of the microbe

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Data_Sheet_2_Proper irrigation amount for eggplant cultivation in a solar greenhouse improved plant growth, fruit quality and yield by influencing the soil microbial community and rhizosphere environment.PDF

Water scarcity is a worldwide problem, and in order to obtain plenty of production, agricultural irrigation water accounts for a large portion. Many studies have shown that the interaction of root microorganisms and soil can promote crop growth. Developing ways to reduce irrigation to maintain soil fertility and ensure crop yield by regulating the root microenvironment is an important research goal. Here, we developed a reasonable irrigation plan for eggplant cultivation in a solar greenhouse. The maximum theoretical amount of water demand during eggplant planting obtained from a previous study was used as the control (CK), and the irrigation in the treatments was reduced by 10, 20 and 30% relative to this amount. The 10% irrigation reduction treatment (T1) significantly improved soil nutrients and increased soil catalase, urease and alkaline phosphatase activities (p < 0.05). Further analysis of rhizosphere microorganisms revealed the highest richness and diversity of the microbial community under the T1 treatment, with Bacilli as the most abundant bacteria and Aspergillaceae as the most abundant fungi and lower relative abundances of Chloroflexi and Acidobacteria (p < 0.05). Changes in microbial community structure under the influence of different irrigation treatments resulted in improvements in rhizosphere N cycling and nutrient catabolism. The plant–microbe interactions led to significant increases in eggplant plant height, root vigour, root surface area, leaf chlorophyll a, leaf net photosynthetic rate, water use efficiency, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance under the T1 treatment compared to the CK treatment; soluble sugar, soluble protein and free amino acid contents in eggplant fruit increased by 10.8, 12.3 and 6.7%, respectively; and yield increased by 3.9%. Our research proved that the 10% irrigation reduction treatment (T1) could improve microbial community richness and fruit yield, which would improve irrigation efficiency and cost reduction in agriculture.</p

Data_Sheet_3_Proper irrigation amount for eggplant cultivation in a solar greenhouse improved plant growth, fruit quality and yield by influencing the soil microbial community and rhizosphere environment.docx

Water scarcity is a worldwide problem, and in order to obtain plenty of production, agricultural irrigation water accounts for a large portion. Many studies have shown that the interaction of root microorganisms and soil can promote crop growth. Developing ways to reduce irrigation to maintain soil fertility and ensure crop yield by regulating the root microenvironment is an important research goal. Here, we developed a reasonable irrigation plan for eggplant cultivation in a solar greenhouse. The maximum theoretical amount of water demand during eggplant planting obtained from a previous study was used as the control (CK), and the irrigation in the treatments was reduced by 10, 20 and 30% relative to this amount. The 10% irrigation reduction treatment (T1) significantly improved soil nutrients and increased soil catalase, urease and alkaline phosphatase activities (p < 0.05). Further analysis of rhizosphere microorganisms revealed the highest richness and diversity of the microbial community under the T1 treatment, with Bacilli as the most abundant bacteria and Aspergillaceae as the most abundant fungi and lower relative abundances of Chloroflexi and Acidobacteria (p < 0.05). Changes in microbial community structure under the influence of different irrigation treatments resulted in improvements in rhizosphere N cycling and nutrient catabolism. The plant–microbe interactions led to significant increases in eggplant plant height, root vigour, root surface area, leaf chlorophyll a, leaf net photosynthetic rate, water use efficiency, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance under the T1 treatment compared to the CK treatment; soluble sugar, soluble protein and free amino acid contents in eggplant fruit increased by 10.8, 12.3 and 6.7%, respectively; and yield increased by 3.9%. Our research proved that the 10% irrigation reduction treatment (T1) could improve microbial community richness and fruit yield, which would improve irrigation efficiency and cost reduction in agriculture.</p