Public awareness of seafood mislabeling.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ryburn SJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9248779 | biostudies-literature | 2022
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Public awareness of seafood mislabeling.
Ryburn Savannah J SJ Ballantine Wilker M WM Loncan Florencia M FM Manning Olivia G OG Alston Meggan A MA Steinwand Blaire B Bruno John F JF
PeerJ 20220628
A substantial portion of seafood is mislabeled, causing significant impacts to human health, the environment, the economy, and society. Despite the large scientific literature documenting seafood mislabeling the public's awareness of seafood mislabeling is unknown. We conducted an online survey to assess the public's awareness and perceptions of seafood mislabeling. Of the 1,216 respondents, 38% had never heard of seafood mislabeling and 49% were only 'vaguely familiar' with it. After being prov ...[more]
Similar Datasets
Project description:Over the past decade, seafood mislabeling has been increasingly documented, raising public concern over the identity, safety, and sustainability of seafood. Negative outcomes from seafood mislabeling are suspected to be substantial and pervasive as seafood is the world's most highly traded food commodity. Here we provide empirical systems-level evidence that enabling conditions exist for seafood mislabeling in the United States (US) to lead to negative impacts on marine populations and support consumption of products from poorly managed fisheries. Using trade, production, and mislabeling data, we determine that substituted products are more likely to be imported than the product listed on the label. We also estimate that about 60% of US mislabeled apparent consumption associated with the established pairs involves products that are exclusively wild caught. We use these wild-caught pairs to explore population and management consequences of mislabeling. We find that, compared to the product on the label, substituted products come from fisheries with less healthy stocks and greater impacts of fishing on other species. Additionally, substituted products are from fisheries with less effective management and with management policies less likely to mitigate impacts of fishing on habitats and ecosystems compared with the label product. While we provide systematic evidence of environmental impacts from food fraud, our results also highlight the current challenges with production, trade, and mislabeling data, which increase the uncertainty surrounding seafood mislabeling consequences. More integrated, holistic, and collaborative approaches are needed to understand mislabeling impacts and design interventions to minimize mislabeling.
| S-EPMC7720233 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Peru is one of the world's leading fishing nations and its seafood industry relies on the trade of a vast variety of aquatic resources, playing a key role in the country's socio-economic development. DNA barcoding has become of paramount importance for systematics, conservation, and seafood traceability, complementing or even surpassing conventional identification methods when target organisms show similar morphology during the early life stages, have recently diverged, or have undergone processing. Aiming to increase our knowledge of the species diversity available across the Peruvian supply chain (from fish landing sites to markets and restaurants), we applied full and mini-barcoding approaches targeting three mitochondrial genes (COI, 16S, and 12S) and the control region to identify samples purchased at retailers from six departments along the north-central Peruvian coast. DNA barcodes from 131 samples were assigned to 55 species (plus five genus-level taxa) comprising 47 families, 24 orders, and six classes including Actinopterygii (45.03%), Chondrichthyes (36.64%), Bivalvia (6.87%), Cephalopoda (6.11%), Malacostraca (3.82%), and Gastropoda (1.53%). The identified samples included commercially important pelagic (anchovy, bonito, dolphinfish) and demersal (hake, smooth-hound, Peruvian rock seabass, croaker) fish species. Our results unveiled the marketing of protected and threatened species such as whale shark, Atlantic white marlin, smooth hammerhead (some specimens collected during closed season), shortfin mako, and pelagic thresher sharks. A total of 35 samples (26.72%) were mislabeled, including tilapia labeled as wild marine fish, dolphinfish and hake labeled as grouper, and different shark species sold as "smooth-hounds". The present study highlights the necessity of implementing traceability and monitoring programs along the entire seafood supply chain using molecular tools to enhance sustainability efforts and ensure consumer choice.
| S-EPMC6239289 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC11581478 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Seafood mislabeling occurs in a wide range of seafood products worldwide, resulting in public distrust, economic fraud, and health risks for consumers. We quantified the extent of shrimp mislabeling in coastal and inland North Carolina. We used standard DNA barcoding procedures to determine the species identity of 106 shrimp sold as "local" by 60 vendors across North Carolina. Thirty-four percent of the purchased shrimp was mislabeled, and surprisingly the percentage did not differ significantly between coastal and inland counties. One third of product incorrectly marketed as "local" was in fact whiteleg shrimp: an imported and globally farmed species native to the eastern Pacific, not found in North Carolina waters. In addition to the negative ecosystem consequences of shrimp farming (e.g., the loss of mangrove forests and the coastal buffering they provide), North Carolina fishers-as with local fishers elsewhere-are negatively impacted when vendors label farmed, frozen, and imported shrimp as local, fresh, and wild-caught.
| S-EPMC7067418 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background. Sepsis is a serious and common condition with high mortality and morbidity. The public awareness, knowledge, and perception of sepsis in Sweden are unknown. Methods. A survey was performed using an online interview distributed to adults, aged 18-74, between March 6 and 9, 2015. Results. A total of 1001 people responded to the survey. Twenty-one percent of participants had heard of sepsis, whereas more than 86% had heard of each of the other conditions listed; for example, stroke (95%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (95%), and leukemia (92%). Of those who had heard of sepsis, 93% responded that it is an infection or blood poisoning in an open question. The respondents who had heard of each disease estimated its mortality. For sepsis, the mortality was estimated at an average of 30%, which was at the same level as estimated mortalities for prostate and breast cancer but lower than for stroke, COPD, and leukemia. Conclusions. The awareness and knowledge of sepsis is low. The mortality for sepsis is not as overestimated as for many other diseases. The lack of awareness of sepsis might be a target to improve the outcome for sepsis patients by reducing the prehospital delay and hence enable early interventions. An increased general awareness might also raise interest for funding for research in this area and for its priority in healthcare support.
| S-EPMC4664835 | biostudies-literature
Project description:When people's knowledge and awareness are the subject of public health research, the meanings applied to the words knowledge and awareness are often unclear. Although frequently used interchangeably without that being problematic, these words sometimes appear to have different intended meanings but those meanings are not made explicit or, despite the meanings having been made explicit, they are not adhered to. It is necessary to overcome obscurities when knowledge and awareness are intended to represent different domains. This occurs when they are compared with each other; it also occurs when knowledge and awareness are assessed separately in relation to such variables as health behavior; physical, psychological, or socioeconomic statuses; gender; age; and ethnic backgrounds. For those particular research ventures, recommendations are made that knowledge be used to refer to information that is, to a greater or lesser extent, detailed and factual, and that awareness be associated with information that is personally relevant. Some suggestions are made, and issues are raised, about how the psychometric foundations for each of those two domains might be established prior to use in empirical research. Adopting the recommendations and suggestions made in this article provides opportunities for greater conceptual and empirical clarity and success.
| S-EPMC5545880 | biostudies-other
Project description:Background:Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most prevalent neurologic disorders, leading to progressive disability that can be slowed but not stopped by treatment. It is characterized by tremors, slow movements, stiffness in arms and legs, and balance impairment. Despite advancement in treatment, diagnosis, and care of PD patients, lack of adequate knowledge and associated beliefs among the community might have a key role in limiting access to proper treatment and care. Objectives:To identify the level of awareness of our population regarding PD in terms of causes, signs, symptoms, and treatment. Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted on Saudis, who have active Twitter accounts. Data were collected through a previously validated questionnaire, which tests recognition of PD symptoms and general knowledge regarding PD. The questionnaire was translated into Arabic. Part 1 of the questionnaire is the demographic data collection sheet, Part 2 of the questionnaire tests recognition of PD symptoms, and Part 3 of the questionnaire tests general knowledge regarding PD. Results:The questionnaire was administered to 3,050 members of the public, of which 2,609 questionnaires (86.20%) were included in the analysis. The tremor was the most widely recognized symptom (86.10%), and weight loss was the most recognized non-motor symptom (24%). Most respondents (56%) were able to identify imbalance as a symptom of PD, whereas only 4.10% of them were able to identify the reduced sense of smell as a symptom of PD. Motor symptoms were significantly better recognized (range 31.30%-86.10%) than non-motor symptoms (range 4.10%-24%). Conclusion:Educational campaigns may be appropriate to improve public awareness of PD and individual knowledge about PD symptoms and treatment.
| S-EPMC6293928 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundThe recommendations of both the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) for the prevention of cancer are important public health tools. These recommendations for the prevention of specific cancers are related to body weight maintenance; physical activity; foods and drinks that promote weight gain; plant foods; foods of animal origin; alcoholic beverages; preservation, processing, and preparation of food; food supplements; and breastfeeding.MethodsThis study was a descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study. All patients provided written informed consent prior to enrollment in the study. Stratified random sampling was carried out with a convenience sample size of ≥280 participants. The characteristics of the participants were investigated using validated questions. Knowledge about the WCRF/AICR recommendations for the primary prevention of cancer was determined using 14 multiple choice questions validated in this study. Group A included participants who answered that cancer can be prevented and that lifestyle is the main factor related to the onset of cancer; the remaining participants were assigned to Group B. The χ2 test and Mann‒Whitney U test were used to determine differences in the groups. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. A multiple linear regression analysis with gamma response was performed to assess the knowledge score.ResultsA total of 289 participants were included; 168 (58%) participants were in group A, and 121 (42%) participants were in group B. Using a 0 to 14 scale, the median (P25, P75) number of correct answers was 11 (10, 12). There was no evidence of a difference between groups in sex, relationship status, literacy skills, years of education, occupation, monthly income per person, and BMI. Most of the participants reported that they did not consume tobacco (n = 259/289) or alcohol (n = 261/289) in the week prior to completing the survey.DiscussionMost of the participants (58%) considered cancer preventable and agreed that lifestyle factors were the most important factors in cancer development. The results also showed a high level of public awareness of some evidence-based associations between cancer and lifestyle factors, such as tobacco use. Some confusion among the public on other risk factors was also identified: waist circumference, a variable related to excess weight, was not identified as a risk factor for cancer by most of the participants, but the consumption of foods and beverages high in calories was identified as a risk factor by the majority of participants. Awareness of cancer protective and risk factors may lead to positive behavioral changes and eventually reduce the burden of cancer.
| S-EPMC11246616 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceObesity, a chronic disease with escalating global prevalence, poses considerable health risks. Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), including liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide, have demonstrated efficacy for weight loss in clinical trials. The paradigm shift in the approach to obesity management drugs (OMDs) may offer an opportunity to examine online search activity and prescription trends.ObjectiveTo investigate prescription patterns and online search trends for OMD and correlating usage dynamics with public engagement regarding these medications.Design, setting, and participantsThis repeated cross-sectional study analyzed online searches and corresponding data for dispensed prescriptions derived from the IQVIA National Prescription Audit, a comprehensive audit capturing approximately 90% of US retail prescription dispensing that is then projected to population-level data. Data from online searches and on prescriptions from the National Prescription Audit for US Food and Drug Administration-approved OMDs were collected from July 1, 2017, through February 29, 2024. This population-level analysis included all eligible individuals using either the Google search engine or receiving prescriptions.ExposuresUS monthly query fractions as online searches per 10 million total searches and monthly prescriptions dispensed for OMDs.Main outcome and measuresTrends in OMD prescriptions and online searches were visually analyzed, and quantitative correlations were calculated using Spearman rank correlation.ResultsDuring the study period, 69 213 936 prescriptions for OMDs were dispensed in the US, with an overall increase of 0.76 to 0.80 million from July 2017 to June 2018 and 1.29 to 1.51 million from March 2023 to February 2024 and a mean (SD) annual growth rate of 5.3% (9.4%). Total monthly OMD prescriptions reached 1.5 million in February 2024, accounting for 0.41% of all prescriptions that month. Phentermine, semaglutide (Wegovy; Novo Nordisk), liraglutide (Saxenda; Novo Nordisk), and tirzepatide (Zepbound; Eli Lilly) were most prescribed. By February 2024, phentermine had approximately 0.74 million monthly prescriptions, Wegovy had 0.42 million, and Zepbound had 0.25 million. Most prescriptions were issued by advanced practice practitioners (APP) and primary care physicians (PCPs) and internists. The APPs' share increased from 25.3% in July 2017 to 40.6% in February 2024, while PCPs' and internists' share decreased from 57.9% to 48.1%. Wegovy's share of total OMDs increased to 27.7% and 28.3% and Zepbound's share to 16.1% and 16.5% (both February 2024) among APPs and PCPs and internists, respectively. Phentermine's dropped from 86.3% and 85.1% (July 2017) to 50.8% and 49.7% (February 2024), respectively. Online searches per 10 million reflected prescription trends, with Wegovy at 636.3, Zepbound at 468.9, and phentermine at 301.8 (all February 2024). The strongest correlations between prescriptions and search volumes were observed for semaglutide (Wegovy; r = 0.97) and tirzepatide (Zepbound; r = 0.90).Conclusions and relevanceThis repeated cross-sectional study shows the dynamic growth and evolving share of new obesity medications since 2017 and a significant shift toward semaglutide and tirzepatide prescribing. The joint surge in prescriptions and online searches and their close correlation highlight the real-time associations between public awareness and prescription trends.
| S-EPMC11780480 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIn the last decade, cord blood (CB) has proven to be a valuable source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation to treat many hematological disorders. Since then, many CB banks have been established worldwide. Our aim was to estimate the level of public awareness of CB banking in Saudi Arabia.Study design and methodsA self-administered questionnaire of 22 multiple choices was conveniently distributed, consisting of demographics, awareness measure, attitude toward banking preference, and donation for research data.ResultsA total of 1146 participants have completed the questionnaire. The majority were young female 19-25 years old (26%), who are college graduates (57%) with middle class socioeconomic status (82%). The subjective assessment of the overall knowledge was inadequate (66%). For the objective assessment, 12 questions were asked about CB source, collection, storage, and usage. Only half of the subjects (52%) knew that CB is a source of stem cells. More than half did not know the main use of CB. About half did not know about the method of collection nor the condition of storing.ConclusionThis study shows a high lack of knowledge about CB banking. More than half of the subjects were unaware of CB banking and its uses. However, most subjects are accepting CB storage, which anticipates great impact and efficacy on educational programs. Moreover, the data demonstrated that health professionals were not the source of knowledge. We recommend having comprehensive educational campaigns with clear information about CB banking to facilitate positive perspectives towards donation and scientific research.
| S-EPMC5903187 | biostudies-literature