Understanding barriers to consumers to stop washing raw poultry through in-depth interviews

PurposeFoodborne illness from poultry may be associated with improper handling that results in cross contamination. Washing of raw poultry is one practice that can lead to cross contamination. Some consumers continue to wash raw poultry after learning that not washing raw poultry is the safe behavior. There is a need to better understand why some consumers continue this practice and identify barriers to them adopting the correct behavior.Design/methodology/approachThis research utilized qualitative, in-depth interviews to understand some consumer's barriers to adopting the behavior of not washing raw poultry. The interview questioning route was iteratively developed and designed to allow both structure and flexibility. Questions were anchored in the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change. Interviews (N = 23) were conducted over Zoom. Thematic analysis identified themes around consumers' resistance to adopting the correct behavior for handling raw poultry.FindingsResults from the thematic analysis indicate that chicken preparation methods were primarily influenced by family. A desire to control the process of preparing food, lack of trust in chicken processing, and the habitual nature of the behavior all contributed to the continuation of washing raw poultry. Over half of the participants (61%) expressed interest in changing behaviors in the future. Needing supporting scientific evidence, and an alternative behavior to replace washing were two key factors to support the development of future public health messaging.Originality/valueThis study investigates the barriers to safe raw poultry handling utilizing in-depth interviews and contributes to the development of more effective public health messaging.

Appraisal of Behaviour-change Models and Application of Transtheoretical Model-based Motivational Interviewing for Bottle Feeding Cessation- A Qualitative Study

Behaviour change is the key to prevention of diseases; oral diseases being no exception. Behaviours such as frequent consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), feeding milk using a bottle and lack of oral hygiene maintenance are a few examples of behaviours that can cause early childhood caries. Dentists must adopt skills to counsel patients in a manner that will elicit behaviour change. Motivational Interviewing (MI) based on the transtheoretical model of behaviour-change has been effective in tobacco cessation and also has been shown effective in oral health behaviours. This qualitative study demonstrates effectiveness of MI practiced by a paediatric dentist for bottle-feeding cessation. Sixteen mothers were counselled by a single trained MI counsellor in one-to-one counselling sessions and followed up telephonically. Fifteen mothers could stop the practice of bottle feeding. Mothers reported positive feedback on the counselling sessions and satisfaction with the result.

Stages and Processes of Change for Weight Loss in Acute Stroke or TIA Patients Living with Obesity

Background: Obesity is associated with an increased prevalence of vascular risk factors and incidence of stroke. As such weight loss is recommended for patients living with obesity in the secondary prevention of stroke. Few studies, however, have examined the stages and processes of change for weight loss in stroke patients living with obesity. Objective: To evaluate the stages and processes of change for weight loss in patients living with obesity who have had a recent stroke or TIA. Methods: Using a validated questionnaire, we assessed each patient’s stage of behavioral change according to the Transtheoretical Model (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance). We also examined four processes of behavioral change, which quantify activities and experiences that patients undergo on the way to behavioral change: emotional re-evaluation (EMR), weight management action (WMA), weight consequence evaluation (WCE), and supporting relationships (SR). Processes scores were compared between patients in the action and maintenance stages and those in the precontemplation, contemplation and preparation stages. Results: Out of 49 patients who provided informed consent, 44 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Of these 44 patients, 6 (14%) were in the precontemplation stage of change, 7 (16%) were in contemplation, 2 (5%) were in preparation, 13 (30%) were in action, and 16 (36%) were in maintenance. Those in the action and maintenance stages accounted for the majority of participants (n=29, 66%). Patients in the action and maintenance stages (N=29) had higher EMR scores (mean 79, SD 13 vs mean 68, SD 19, t=2.0, p=0.03) and WMA scores (mean 69, SD 13 vs mean 59, SD 19, t=2.0, p=0.03) as compared to those in the precontemplation, contemplation and preparation stages (N=15). Conclusions: Our results suggest that without counseling or specific intervention, approximately two-thirds of stroke/TIA patients living with obesity are in the action or maintenance stage of behavior change with respect to weight loss and therefore more likely to succeed in intensive lifestyle-based interventions targeted towards weight loss. Patients who score higher in EMR and WMA are more likely to be in the action or maintenance stage of change.

(Mis)information, information literacy, and democracy

The current political climate is characterized by an alarming pattern of global democratic regression driven by authoritarian populist leaders who deploy vast misinformation campaigns. These offensives are successful when the majority of the population lack skills that would allow them to think critically about information in the political sphere, to identify misinformation, and therefore to fully exercise democratic citizenship. Political science has theorized the link between information and power and information professionals understand the cognitive decision-making process involved in processing information, but these two literatures rarely intersect. This paper interrogates the links between information literacy (IL) and the rise of authoritarian populism in order to advance the development of a new transtheoretical model that links political science (which studies power), information science, and critical pedagogy to suggest new paths for teaching and research. We call for a collaborative research and teaching agenda, grounded in a holistic understanding of information as power, that will contribute to achieving a more informed citizenship and promoting a more inclusive democracy.

Measuring Readiness to Change Substance Use, Alcohol Use, and Cannabis Use: An Experimental Manipulation of Cognitive Effort

The Transtheoretical Model supports that readiness to change should predict actual substance-related behavior change, though this relationship is surprisingly modest. Across several behavioral domains, individuals tend to have unrealistic expectations regarding the amount of effort and time required to successfully change one’s behaviors, dubbed the False Hope Syndrome. Based on the False Hope Syndrome, we expect that the standard method of measuring self-reported readiness to change is inaccurate and overestimated. To test this hypothesis, we experimentally manipulated the level of cognitive effort or focus on the practical implications of changing substance use prior to completing readiness to change measures. College students from a large southwestern university who reported using substances in the past 30 days (n = 345) were recruited from a psychology department participant pool to complete this experimental study online. Participants were randomized to one of three conditions: 1) standard low effort condition, 2) medium effort condition (had to select likes/dislikes of substance use, and negative consequences of changing one’s use), and 3) high effort condition (also provided text responses to how they would handle difficult situations related to changing their substance use). We conducted one-way ANOVAs with Tukey post-hoc comparisons to examine differences on three measures of readiness to change: the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA) scale for overall substance use as well as the readiness and motivation rulers for overall substance use, alcohol use, and cannabis use. Contrary to our hypothesis, all significant statistical tests supported higher cognitive effort conditions reporting higher readiness to change. Although effect sizes were modest, higher cognitive effort appeared to increase self-reported readiness to change substance use. To address the present study’s limitations, additional work is needed to test how self-reported readiness to change relates to actual behavior change when assessed under the different effort conditions.

Going veggie: Identifying and overcoming the social and psychological barriers to veganism

We conceptualize the journey to ethical veganism in the stages of the transtheoretical model of change, from precontemplation through contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. At each stage, we explore the psychological barriers to progressing towards veganism, discuss how they manifest, and explore ways to overcome them. It is hoped that this paper can be used as a guide for animal advocates to identify the stage an individual is at, and understand and overcome the social and psychological barriers they may face to progressing. We argue that, while many people are ignorant of the cruel practices entailed in animal farming, many deliberately avoid thinking about the issue, are unable to appreciate the scale of the issue, and simply tend to favour the status quo. When engaging with the issue of farm animal suffering, meat-eaters are largely driven by cognitive dissonance, which manifests as motivated reasoning aimed at protecting one’s image of oneself and one’s society. This is facilitated by confirmation bias and complicit media which cater to the preferred views of their meat-eating audience. Even once convinced of veganism, habit and willpower present further barriers to acting on those beliefs. This is all in the context of a speciesist and carnistic culture where meat consumption is normal, farming is noble, and vegans are ‘others’. We locate and elucidate each of these biases within the stages of the transtheoretical model and discuss the implications of this model for animal advocates and for further research.