scholarly journals Revisiting the primary bias: the role of innumeracy in the misperception of prevalence of common illnesses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Raude ◽  
Christina Xiao ◽  
Pascal Crépey
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Weighting Function ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Probability Weighting Function ◽  
Adequate Model ◽  
Common Illnesses ◽  
Rare Illnesses ◽  
Actual Prevalence

Although people have been repeatedly found to underestimate frequencies of common illnesses and overestimate those of rare illnesses, not much is known about this consistent bias in risk perception, termed “primary bias” in the literature, as well as the origin of its variations among different subpopulations. To fill this gap, we designed and implemented a national survey to compare the perceived and actual prevalence of common illnesses, and to test the hypothesis that numeracy may play an important role in the accuracy of judgments of risk frequencies. Our data were collected through a large online survey conducted in France among a representative sample of the adult population (n = 3,245). The participants were asked to complete a 10-items numeracy scale and to estimate the prevalence of a variety of social conditions and common illnesses such as cancers or heart diseases in the French population by using a percentage scale. The analyses show that (1) participants tend to greatly overestimate the prevalence of conditions affecting small percentages of people, and underestimate those affecting a large percentage of them, (2) the Tversky and Kahneman’s probability weighting function provides an adequate model to represent the discrepancy between the perceived and actual prevalence of these illnesses, and (3) the magnitude of the primary bias varies principally as a function of the respondents’ numeracy. These results suggest that the primary bias that affects perceptions of prevalence of chronic diseases is not fundamentally different from those characterizing other types of probabilistic judgments investigated in the field of psychological and behavioral sciences. They also confirm that numeracy plays a considerable role in people’s ability to transform epidemiological observations from their social environment into more accurate estimates.

scholarly journals Physical Exercise as a Resilience Factor to Mitigate COVID-Related Allostatic Overload

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Ajandek Eöry ◽  
Dora Békési ◽  
Ajandok Eöry ◽  
Sandor Rózsa
Keyword(s):  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Distress Symptoms ◽  
The Face ◽  
Univariate Statistics ◽  
Mental Well Being

Introduction: The long-lasting threat of COVID-19 makes it necessary to explore strategies to improve coping skills which enable us to master a balanced life in the face of adversity. Objective: To unravel the most challenging aspects of COVID-19 in a nonclinical adult population and identify predictors of lost balance and consequent allostatic overload (AO). We examined the role of regular, moderate-intensity formula aerobic exercise (312 meridian exercise) in preventing allostatic overload through increasing well-being. Methods: An online survey was conducted to measure CO­VID-related allostatic overload according to clinimetric criteria. The Psychosocial Index (PSI), Kellner’s Symptom Questionnaire (KSQ), short Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), Public Health Surveillance Well-Being Scale ­(PHS-WB), and Whiteley-7 were used to explore mental health characteristics. Univariate statistics logistic regression analysis and a general linear model were used. Results: According to 442 valid answers, 217 adults practiced physical exercise (PE) frequently (fPE, 3–5 times/every day) while 120 did it less regularly (1–2 times/week), and 105 did not exercise/practiced irregularly (controls). Restriction-related stressors were most challenging, resulting in AO in 29% (n = 128) of the sample. The main predictors were additional stressors (p = 0.005) and anxiety symptoms (p < 0.001). The prevalence of AO was lower (p = 0.018) in the fPE group when compared to controls. KSQ distress symptoms were also lower in fPE (p < 0.0001), while total well-being was increased (p < 0.001) after adjusting for sex, age, and number of chronic diseases. According to the PHS-WB, both physical and mental well-being were higher (p = 0.003 and p = 0.004, respectively) in fPE. Conclusions: Frequent moderate exercise is associated with better mental and physical well-being and a lower prevalence of AO.

Potential Uses of Vinegar as a Medicine and Related in vivo Mechanisms

2016 ◽  
Vol 86 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 127-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeshan Ali ◽  
Zhenbin Wang ◽  
Rai Muhammad Amir ◽  
Shoaib Younas ◽  
Asif Wali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Structure ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
Folk Medicine ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Positive Effect

While the use of vinegar to fi ght against infections and other crucial conditions dates back to Hippocrates, recent research has found that vinegar consumption has a positive effect on biomarkers for diabetes, cancer, and heart diseases. Different types of vinegar have been used in the world during different time periods. Vinegar is produced by a fermentation process. Foods with a high content of carbohydrates are a good source of vinegar. Review of the results of different studies performed on vinegar components reveals that the daily use of these components has a healthy impact on the physiological and chemical structure of the human body. During the era of Hippocrates, people used vinegar as a medicine to treat wounds, which means that vinegar is one of the ancient foods used as folk medicine. The purpose of the current review paper is to provide a detailed summary of the outcome of previous studies emphasizing the role of vinegar in treatment of different diseases both in acute and chronic conditions, its in vivo mechanism and the active role of different bacteria.

Testing the Strain Theory of Suicide – The Moderating Role of Social Support

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 82-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bob Lew ◽  
Ksenia Chistopolskaya ◽  
Yanzheng Liu ◽  
Mansor Abu Talib ◽  
Olga Mitina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Suicidal Behavior ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Psychological Strains ◽  
Moderating Role

Abstract. Background: According to the strain theory of suicide, strains, resulting from conflicting and competing pressures in an individual's life, are hypothesized to precede suicide. But social support is an important factor that can mitigate strains and lessen their input in suicidal behavior. Aims: This study was designed to assess the moderating role of social support in the relation between strain and suicidality. Methods: A sample of 1,051 employees were recruited in Beijing, the capital of China, through an online survey. Moderation analysis was performed using SPSS PROCESS Macro. Social support was measured with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and strains were assessed with the Psychological Strains Scale. Results: Psychological strains are a good predictor of suicidality, and social support, a basic need for each human being, moderates and decreases the effects of psychological strains on suicidality. Limitations: The cross-sectional survey limited the extent to which conclusions about causal relationships can be drawn. Furthermore, the results may not be generalized to the whole of China because of its diversity. Conclusion: Social support has a tendency to mitigate the effects of psychological strains on suicidality.

Selecting which touchpoints to manage for customer loyalty: an empirical analysis in retail banking

2019 ◽  
pp. 39-54
Author(s):  
Marco Ieva ◽  
Cristina Ziliani
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Customer Experience ◽  
Retail Banking ◽  
Customer Experience Management ◽  
Moderating Role

Customer Experience develops through a journey of touchpoints. However, little is known on the role of touchpoints in contributing to customer loyalty, which is the final aim of Customer Experience Management. This study provides an examination of the relative and moderating role of frequency and positivity of exposure to more than twenty touchpoints and their interplay in contributing to customer loyalty. An online survey on more than three thousand consumers is run with reference to retail banking. Results show that only a small number of touchpoints is significantly related to customer loyalty. Findings point companies' attention to invest their efforts in managing both the frequency and positivity of specific touchpoints.

Are perceived prevalences of infection also biased and how? Lessons from large epidemics of mosquito-borne diseases in tropical regions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Raude
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Systematic Bias ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Telephone Surveys ◽  
Behavioral Decision ◽  
Risk Estimates ◽  
Representative Samples ◽  
Actual Prevalence

Objectives: Although people have been repeatedly found to underestimate the frequency of risks to health from common diseases, we still do not know much about reasons for this systematic bias, which is also referred to as “primary bias” in the literature. In this study, we take advantage of a series of large epidemics of mosquito-borne diseases to examine the accuracy of judgments of risk frequencies. In this aim, we assessed the perceived versus the observed prevalence of infection by zika, chikungunya or dengue fever during these outbreaks, as well as their variations among different subpopulations and epidemiological settings.Design: We used data drawn from 4 telephone surveys, conducted between 2006 and 2016, among representative samples of the adult population in tropical regions (Reunion, Martinique, and French Guiana). The participants were asked to estimate the prevalence of these infections by using a natural frequency scale.Results: The surveys showed that (1) most people greatly overestimated the prevalence of infection by arbovirus, (2) these risk overestimations fell considerably as the actual prevalence of these diseases increased, (3) the better-educated and male participants consistently yielded less inaccurate risk estimates across epidemics, and (4) that these biases in the perception of prevalence of these infectious diseases are relatively well predicted by probability weighting function.Conclusions: These findings suggest that the cognitive biases that affect perception of prevalence of acute infectious diseases are not fundamentally different from those that characterize other types of probabilistic judgments observed in the field of behavioral decision-making. They also indicate that numeracy may play a considerable role in people’s ability to transform epidemiological observations from their social environment to more accurate risk estimates.

Gender and Organizational Conflict Management: The Mediating Role of Personality

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maciej Kościelniak ◽  
Jarosław Piotrowski ◽  
Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Conflict Behavior ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Conflict Management Styles ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Big Five Model

Many authors examined the interplay between gender and conflict management preferences, but those findings were often mixed and inconsistent. In the current paper we tried to explain those inconsistencies by investigating the mediating role of personality for the relationship of gender and conflict management. Rahim's inventory was used for identifying five conflict management styles, and Big Five Model theory was a base for assessing participants' personality traits. Data were collected from a sample of 1,055 working Poles (52.7% women), in an online survey. Based on the structural equation modeling we detected multiple indirect mediating paths of gender on conflict management via personality traits, while no direct effect of gender was observed. Despite some limitations, the study sheds light on the actual role of gender in conflict behavior and the importance of personality traits in the conflict management, both from a theoretical and practical perspective.

scholarly journals Integrating Sustainability and Lean: SLIM Method and Enterprise Game Proposed

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilie Tăucean ◽  
Matei Tămășilă ◽  
Larisa Ivascu ◽  
Șerban Miclea ◽  
Mircea Negruț
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Effective Solution ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Education Activity ◽  
Industry And Education ◽  
The Unemployed

Sustainability and leanness are organizational approach concepts for more efficient activities and increased competitiveness. This paper presents a study and an application of the concepts of sustainability and lean, with the purpose to capitalize on the benefits of the two concepts’ tools when used together in an industry and education activity. A literature review was carried out to evaluate qualitatively and empirically the concepts of sustainability, lean, and enterprise games, and the possibility to integrate the first two concepts into a new tool applied into an enterprise game. An online survey was done to identify which tools are used within companies in the region, how and what training methods they used, and what the reported benefits are. The survey results were used to design a new tool integrated in a new enterprise game (SLIM) developed by the authors. The game was tested and validated in educational laboratory with students and actual employees from companies. The game follows the frame of an enterprise game, considering the simulation of enterprise classical functions. The game’s purpose is to improve the activity in successive rounds. A scorecard is used to fill in and compute the key performance indicators (KPIs), and a new indicator is proposed (SLIMx). Applications of the instrument/game include: students’ training in an educational laboratory; lifelong learning; professional training in companies; and professional perfection/reconversion of potential employees and the unemployed. The SLIM game was simulated in a team of 15 players over three rounds, with teachers playing the role of the supervisor. A number of possible improvements have been identified. The next step is testing it in enterprises with various fields of activity. SLIM has proven to be an effective solution to improve organizational efficiency and motivate players to gain new knowledge.

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