Correlation analysis and modeling application from objective indicators to subjective evaluation of scented tea: A case study of rose tea.

Different scented teas provide various choices for consumers from appearance, aroma, flavor and others. Aiming to define advantages and market positions of different scented teas and promote optimization of market structure, characteristics for scented tea favored by consumers and outstanding attributes of different scented teas should be clarified. Rose tea was taken as study object. Sensory evaluation and consumer acceptance were investigated. GC-MS and HPLC fingerprints were established. Physicochemical characteristics were determined. RGB integration analysis was inventively proposed for correlation analysis. The volatile compounds with spicy, green or herbal odor as camphene, ß-phenethyl acetate, eugenol, and physicochemical parameters as antioxidant capacity, reducing sugar content, pH showed positive correlation with popular sensory properties. Six models for consumer preference by objective description were built through GA-SVR (accuracy = 1), and APP was developed. The research mode of scented tea has been successfully established to study multiple subjective characteristics with measurable objective parameters.

Food essentialism is associated with perceptions of plant-based meat alternatives possessing properties of meat-based products.

A transition to greater plant-based protein consumption is recognized as a necessity for planetary and human well-being. A critical driver of acceptance of plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) is perceived similarity in their sensory and nutritional profiles with conventional animal-based meat. Consumers vary in food essentialism - beliefs that categories of foods have innate and immutable 'essences' that are responsible for their shared properties. Here, we examined whether food essentialism is associated with perceptions that PBMAs share similar properties as the animal-based products they replicate. Participants (N=298) rated two animal-based food items (beef burger and canned tuna) and two corresponding PBMAs (plant-based burger and tuna) on perceived processing, naturalness, nutritiousness, taste (like beef or fish), typical health benefits, and liking. Participants holding higher (vs. lower) food essentialism beliefs rated PBMAs as less processed, more natural, tasting more like beef (plant-based burger only), possessing greater health benefits of the animal-based products, and as more liked (plant-based tuna only). These relationships between food essentialism and perceived food properties were observed more consistently for PBMAs than their animal-based counterparts. Beliefs that food items from a common category, such as beef, share similar essences and properties may extend to PBMAs despite their non-animal origins. Given the challenges in developing PBMAs that adequately replicate the taste, texture, and nutritional properties of meat, targeting intuitions that guide perceived similarities of PBMAs and meat, like food essentialism, may be a promising approach for supporting the protein transition.

Consumer products are important reservoirs and sources of organophosphate tri-esters and di-esters: Characteristics, mass inventory, and implication for waste management.

Numerous studies documented the occurrence of organophosphate tri-esters (tri-OPEs) and di-esters (di-OPEs) in the environment. Little information is available on their occurrence in waste consumer products, reservoirs and sources of these chemicals. This study collected and analyzed 92 waste consumer products manufactured from diverse polymers, including polyurethane foam (PUF), polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene (PE) to obtain information on the occurrence and profiles of 16 tri-OPEs and 10 di-OPEs. Total concentrations of di-OPEs (18-370,000 ng/ g, median 1,700 ng/g) were one order of magnitude lower than those of tri-OPEs (94-4,500,000 ng/g, median 5,400 ng/g). The concentrations of both tri- and di-OPEs in products made of PUF, PS, and ABS were orders of magnitude higher than those made of PP and PE. The compositional patterns of OPEs varied among different polymer types but were generally dominated by bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate), triphenyl phosphate, tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate, di-phenyl phosphate (DPHP), and bis (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate. Two industrially applied di-OPEs (di-n-butyl phosphate and DPHP) exhibited higher levels than their respective tri-OPEs, contrary to their production volumes. Some non-industrially applied chlorinated di-OPEs were also detected, with concentrations up to 97,000 ng/g. These findings suggest that degradation of tri-OPEs during the manufacturing and use of products is an important source of di-OPEs. The mass inventories of tri-OPEs and di-OPEs in consumer products were estimated at 3,100 and 750 tons/year, respectively. This study highlights the importance of consumer products as emission sources of a broad suite of OPEs.

Performance of consumer wrist-worn type sleep tracking devices compared to polysomnography: a meta-analysis.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The use of sleep tracking devices is increasing as people become more aware of the importance of sleep and interested in monitoring their patterns. With many devices on the market, we conducted a meta-analysis comparing sleep-scoring data from consumer wrist-worn sleep tracking devices with polysomnography to validate the accuracy of devices. METHODS: We retrieved studies from the databases of SCOPUS, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, and KoreaMed, and OVID Medline up to March 2024. We compared personal data about participants and information on objective sleep parameters. RESULTS: From 24 studies, data of 798 patient using Fitbit, Jawbone, myCadian watch, WHOOP strap, Garmin, Basis B1, Zulu Watch, Huami Arc, E4 wristband, Fatigue Science Readiband, Apple Watch, or Xiaomi Mi Band 5 were analyzed. There were significant differences in total sleep time {mean difference (MD) -16.854, 95% confidence interval (CI) [-26.332; -7.375]}, sleep efficiency (MD -4.691, 95% CI [-7.079; -2.302]), sleep latency (MD 2.574, 95% CI [0.606; 4.542]), and wake after sleep onset (MD 13.255, 95% CI [4.522; 21.988]) between all consumer sleep tracking devices and polysomnography. In subgroup analysis, there was no significant difference of wake after sleep onset between Fitbit and polysomnography. There was also no significant difference sleep latency between other devices and polysomnography. Fitbit measured sleep latency longer than other devices, and other devices measured wake after sleep onset longer. Based on Begg and Egger's test, there was no publication bias in total sleep time and sleep efficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Wrist-worn sleep tracking devices, while popular, are not as reliable as polysomnography in measuring key sleep parameters like total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and sleep latency. Physicians and consumers should be aware of their limitations and interpret results carefully, though they can still be useful for tracking general sleep patterns. Further improvements and clinical studies are needed to enhance their accuracy.

Perspectives of cancer consumer representatives on their involvement in healthcare service improvement: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Consumer involvement in healthcare service organisation and policy development is recognised globally as a vital strategy in improving the quality and patient-centredness of care. There are significant gaps in knowledge about consumer involvement in practice, including consumers' engagement in the process of enhancing cancer services. This study aimed to explore consumers' perspectives on their involvement in cancer service improvement. METHODS: Cancer consumer representatives were recruited through Victorian Integrated Cancer Services, Australia. Eligible consumers were, or had been, a member of a health service improvement-related committee or project and attended at least one meeting with health professionals. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted online and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Six experienced consumer representatives were interviewed. Perspectives on their involvement in improving cancer services were categorised into three major topics. The first addressed personal aspects of involvement, in which participants described personal motivations (e.g., having lived experience of cancer themselves or in their family), challenges encountered in committee involvement, experiences of received support in their role as a consumer representative, concerns about narrow representation, and their evolving identity as a consumer representative. The second discussed practical contributions made by consumer representatives to improve systems and services. Participants detailed their active engagement with committees and consumer-led projects, contributing both their cancer experiences and general or professional skills. The third topic focused on directions for improving consumer involvement in the health system. Suggestions highlighted widening consumer representation to include often marginalised voices to inform decision-making at local committee and health system levels. CONCLUSIONS: This study enhances the real-world understanding of the role that consumer representatives play in improving cancer health services. The strategies suggested in our research provide the opportunity to enhance consumer involvement and pave the way for more effective cancer service planning and implementation across diverse healthcare settings.

Consumer-driven selection of low-emission vehicles for sustainable urban centers: An AHP-based approach.

In densely populated urban areas, air quality is one of the main concerns, affecting human health and the environment. In developing and emerging countries, an alternative method for reducing the effects of air pollution is to select vehicles with lower pollutant emissions, as a way of making these large centers more sustainable. Since the complete elimination of vehicle emissions is not possible in the short term. The aim of this work is conducting a selectivity study of low-emission vehicles to increase the proportion of less polluting vehicles by using a dynamic combination of technical information while simultaneously meeting consumer preferences. An adapted Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria technique, was applied on secondary data on vehicle characteristics. The Brazilian Labeling Program was the main resource used in this research. The research innovatively promotes vehicle selection considering environmental aspects. In addition to being adaptable, dynamic, and interactive, it facilitates its use in different vehicle markets and contributes to policies for reducing pollutant emissions. Thus, the study presents a strategy to minimize vehicle emissions in urban centers until the energy transition is consolidated, especially in emerging countries like Brazil.

Dr. Google will see you now: But will he make you sick?

Advances in technology have empowered patients to seek health information and to self-diagnose online. They do so, increasingly. Instead of shying away from patients' online-gained health information, clinicians can use it to fuel discussion, answer their questions, and, thereby, reinforce the all-important doctor-patient therapeutic alliance. Through patient-centered communication, clinicians can increase patient trust and generate better health outcomes.

Types of genetic determinism in direct-to-consumer genetic testing for health.

Prior research has challenged genetic determinism by highlighting the complex ways lay people engage with genetics. However, most of these critiques took place prior to the availability of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic health testing and were based on reactions to genetic testing administered in a clinical context due to either symptoms or family history. Today, many lay people interact with genetic health information outside of medicine, and often without pre-existing symptoms or family history. This suggests the need to revisit genetic determinism in the context of this new mode of public engagement with genetic information about health. In this paper we examine how a sample of 39 people who had previously taken a DTC genetic test for health make sense of their results. We find genetic determinism is prominent, but takes on several distinct forms, including protective determinism, motivating determinism, and absolute determinism. Considering this, we argue that genetic determinism should not be treated as a singular or fixed concept and cannot be dismissed as insignificant, given its continued salience for DTC genetic test-takers. Our analysis also pays particular attention to how test-takers interpret negative results (i.e., no elevated risks detected), as this is a common outcome of DTC genetic tests but has not been a focus of prior research.

Indian Dental Malpractice Claims and Lawsuits: A Medico-Legal Analysis.

Background and Aim: The law of the land assumes that a dentist will always use credible skill, care, and caution in the care of patients. Failing to do something that one is supposed to do (act of omission) or doing something that one is not supposed to do (act of commission) falls under the purview of medical jurisprudence. Each patient is legally entitled to get quality medical care from a physician; failure to such trust is an actionable offense and grievances can be challenged in consumer redressal forums. This analytical study was aimed to study the reasons for dental negligence cases that sought judicial assistance in consumer courts in terms of monetary benefits and also to study the delay in settlements. Materials and Methods: Archival data of final court-pronounced judgment cases on dental negligence between 2018 and 2022 (i.e., 5 years) were gathered from customer forum websites (https://confonet.nic.in, http://indiankanoon.org/doc, and www.casemine.com). A total of 56 proven dental allegation cases were retrieved. In each verdict case, the allegation against dentist by the plaintiff was recorded, and the response to the complaint by the defendant was studied and analyzed. The year of filing the case and date of judgment, basis of compensation awarded, delay in judgment and role of expert evidence appointed by the court assessed. Results: Misdemeanor by serious negligence: 3, slight negligence: 8, negligent injuries: 35, felony of injuries by serious negligence: 10. Conclusion: Because dentistry involves making decisions in unclear scenarios that affect patient care, there is an inherent danger of malpractice litigation. Awareness of medico-legal issues and professional indemnity insurance coverage for the dentist to safeguard himself from negligence, continuous medico-legal training and documentation of records, and adherence to clinical standards for procedures should be emphasized as prior motives to enhance the standard of care, and a basic awareness of how Indian courts resolve disputes would help dentists plan their professional indemnity insurance and operate their profession properly.

Public engagement with consumer sleep technology for obstructive sleep apnea screening: implications for equity, access, and practice.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To characterize public practices and perspectives on the use of consumer sleep technology (CST) and evaluate perspectives on using CST as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS: We designed a survey instrument incorporating content from validated instruments (STOP-BANG and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale) and hypothesis-generated questions. Survey development involved multidisciplinary collaboration among three board-certified sleep medicine experts, researchers, and consumers. The survey was disseminated across a national sample of adults living in the United States via an online platform. RESULTS: Among 897 respondents, the mean (SD) age was 47.5 (16.9) years; 73.1% were female, 81.8% were White, and 505 respondents (56.3%) reported having tracked sleep using CS. Factors associated with decreased odds of CST use included household income <$30,000 (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.28-0.79; p=0.004), Medicaid insurance (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.26-0.69; p=0.001), Medicare insurance (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.41-0.84; p=0.004), and lack of a primary care physician (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.33-0.91; p=0.021). Most respondents (91.1%) agreed or strongly agreed that screening for OSA would be a useful feature of CST, but respondents reporting an education of high school diploma or less (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.29-0.79; p=0.004) were less likely to agree with this statement. CONCLUSIONS: Attitudes toward and use of CST differed based on demographic and socioeconomic factors. Further study is needed to understand and address barriers to CST adoption and to characterize implications for equitable access to care for sleep disorders.

Patient and public involvement in an evidence synthesis project: description of and reflection on involvement.

BACKGROUND: We conducted an NIHR-funded evidence synthesis project, reviewing evidence relating to interventions for perceptual disorders following stroke. This related paper describes how people with lived experience of stroke-related perceptual disorders contributed to and influenced the project, and identifies lessons for future review projects. METHODS: We planned our patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) activities within a study protocol, described according to the domains of the ACTIVE framework; these were founded on principles for good practice in PPIE. Activities occurred across the lifespan of the project, consisting primarily of group discussions and voting to determine if there was consensus. To assess impact and individual experiences, we sought feedback using an evaluation form after each discussion, and conducted an online meeting at the end of the project to allow further reflection. RESULTS: We recruited five people to a Lived Experience Group, including two stroke survivors and three carers. Members attended one face-to-face meeting during the development of the review. Subsequent activities were all held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic; with six online meetings, plus email interactions. Positive impacts of the Lived Experience Group on the reviews included clear definitions of key terms, selection of outcome measures, agreement on implications of review findings, and identification of research recommendations. Key challenges identified related to the complexity of the topic and challenges in the use of new online technology as a consequence of the COVID-pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: A number of lessons were learned during this project. Specific recommendations for future PPIE are to ensure that those involved have an opportunity to get to know one another, and to provide optional sessions to increase familiarity with online meeting software, clear explanations of the purpose of involvement and specific feedback after each activity. These lessons should be considered when planning the PPIE within future reviews.

Can technology be good for health? Investigating health-promoting strategies in the private sector.

Introduction: This research investigates what might motivate tech companies and impact-driven investors to adopt a health-promoting strategy in their product development and capital allocation strategies. Methods: Participants were recruited for semi-structured interviews through purposive and snowball sampling. From 83 outreach attempts, thematic saturation required 19 completed interviews out of the 46 consumer technology executives and impact-focused investors who responded. Interviews were analyzed using grounded theory-based content analysis. Results: Seven coding categories resulted from inductive coding, with 83 sub-codes. The primary themes were: product-based health impact is magnified when matched to user demographics (making an equity mindset important); stakeholders are eager for reliable health metrics, especially those that hold across industry verticals; when capturing health impact, it is critical to include positive (i.e., economically beneficial) externalities. These results allowed for the creation of a logic model with a recommended theory of change for the private sector to develop health strategy. Discussion: Intentional integration of impact strategy with business priorities will allow teams to design products that promote health, driving buy-in and resource allocation while attracting investment and double returns. For policymakers, it is clear that tech policy and regulation for corporate reporting need to keep pace. These findings are limited by the purposive recruitment of participants, introducing potential bias and risk to generalizability.

Perspective: Food Access at Dollar Stores and its Implications for Public Health: Report of a Workshop on Identifying Research Priorities.

The rapid growth of dollar stores as retail sources of food in the United States is a phenomenon with implications for diets, nutrition, and well-being. We convened a broadly interdisciplinary group of researchers and experts from government and academia at the 2-day Food Access at Dollar Stores (FADS) workshop, held in Boston, MA in 2022. The event brought together economists, social scientists, public health researchers and advocates to discuss the concerns and research questions raised by the growth of dollar stores, and their increased role in food retail and access. In-person, moderated discussions on day two of the workshop generated a range of topics considered important for future research. A subsequent survey, using a modified Delphi approach, identified priority research areas. Nine research area categories emerged as a result of discussion at the FADS workshop and received prioritization from the experts: Local Community Impacts; Health and Nutrition Impacts; Policy and Programs; Systemic Issues - Racism, Poverty, and Food Access; Store Offerings and Locations; Shoppers and Customers; Employees and Employment; Corporate Distribution, Strategy, and Marketing; and Dollar Stores vs. Other Food Sources. The growth of dollar stores as food retailers remains an under-researched area of study for food access and nutrition that requires interdisciplinary expertise and collaboration to understand. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Dollar stores have grown rapidly as food retailers in the United States over the past decade. This work reports the findings of a research workshop and provides a roadmap for prioritizing research topics and tools related to understanding the public health, equity and economic impacts of this important change in how many consumers are accessing food.

Do we need a high level of detail in health information animations? An experimental study investigating the association between level of detail and information recall.

Objective: This study examined the potential of simple animations with a low level of detail and their impact on patient's ability to recall information. Also, we examined how the patients' digital health literacy influenced the association.Methods: Over 900 Danish adults were continuously included in this experimental study, and they were allocated to either an animation with a low or high level of detail. Participants answered questionnaires about demographics, digital health literacy, and the ability to recall information. The association between level of detail and information recall was examined by OR (95% CI).Results: The results showed no association between the level of detail and information recall.Conclusion: This novel study supports the potential of simple animations, and future research could advantageously investigate animations with more significant differences in level of detail. The results should be cautiously interpreted, as selection and information problems may have caused bias.

How do consumers discuss the texture of frozen blueberries? An investigation using word association, hedonic scales and rate-all-that-apply.

BACKGROUND: Flavour, texture, and extended shelf life are key quality traits for blueberries. Studies have used trained panelists and texture analysers to evaluate frozen blueberries. However, more studies are needed to investigate consumer perception and acceptance of frozen blueberries' texture. This study used word association, hedonic scales, and rate-all-that-apply to evaluate how consumers perceive the texture of frozen blueberries. RESULTS: Consumers were interested in the firmness of frozen blueberries, as well as crunchiness, softness, juiciness, and smoothness. They also identified the textural descriptors mushy, tough, chewy, squishy, and mealy. The participants separated the wild blueberries from the cultivated blueberries when evaluating their liking. Textural attributes were correlated with the consumers' overall liking (juicy, firm, crunchy, smooth positively and mushy, tough, squishy negatively). CONCLUSION: This study identified which textural attributes influence consumers' liking of frozen blueberries. Consumers preferred frozen blueberries that were firm, juicy and crunchy. © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

The Online Health Information-Seeking Behaviors of People Who Have Experienced Stroke: Qualitative Interview Study.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. As health resources become digitized, it is important to understand how people who have experienced stroke engage with online health information. This understanding will aid in guiding the development and dissemination of online resources to support people after stroke. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the online health information-seeking behaviors of people who have experienced stroke and any related barriers or navigational needs. METHODS: Purposeful sampling was used to recruit participants via email between March and November 2022. The sampling was done from an existing cohort of Australian stroke survivors who had previously participated in a randomized controlled trial of an online secondary prevention program. The cohort consisted of people with low levels of disability. Semistructured one-on-one interviews were conducted via phone or video calls. These calls were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed by 2 independent coders using a combined inductive-deductive approach. In the deductive analysis, responses were mapped to an online health information-seeking behavior framework. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the remaining raw data that did not fit within the deductive theoretical framework. RESULTS: A sample of 15 relatively independent, high-functioning people who had experienced stroke from 4 Australian states, aged between 29 and 80 years, completed the interview. A broad range of online health information-seeking behaviors were identified, with most relating to participants wanting to be more informed about medical conditions and symptoms of their own or of a family member or a friend. Barriers included limited eHealth literacy and too much generalization of online information. Online resources were described to be more appealing and more accessible if they were high-quality, trustworthy, easy to use, and suggested by health care providers or trusted family members and friends. Across the interviews, there was an underlying theme of disconnection that appeared to impact not only the participants' online health information seeking, but their overall experience after stroke. These responses were grouped into 3 interrelated subthemes: disconnection from conventional stroke narratives and resources, disconnection from the continuing significance of stroke, and disconnection from long-term supports. CONCLUSIONS: People who have experienced stroke actively engage with the internet to search for health information with varying levels of confidence. The underlying theme of disconnection identified in the interviews highlights the need for a more comprehensive and sustained framework for support after stroke beyond the initial recovery phase. Future research should explore the development of tailored and relatable internet-based resources, improved communication and education about the diversity of stroke experiences and ongoing risks, and increased opportunities for long-term support.

Thriving Through Pain: A Whole-Person and Resilience Comparative Study Using Mobile Health Application Technology for Individuals With Self-Reported Pain Challenges.

BACKGROUND: Pain is a complex condition and affects one's life beyond physical symptoms. National pain management recommendations include a whole-person approach that includes strengths (or resilience). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine de-identified data from the MyStrengths+MyHealth application to examine, Strengths, Challenges, and Needs for the population and a subset of the data for those with and without self-reported Challenges in the Pain concept. DESIGN: This cross-sectional comparative study used de-identified consumer-generated whole-person strengths data from the MyStrengths+MyHealth (MSMH) application. METHODS: Data was collected from various community settings between 2019 and 2023 and approved by the University's Institutional Review Board. From the sample population (N=1737), we identified those with self-reported Pain (n=1280) and without self-reported Pain (n=457) and compared Strengths, Challenges, and Needs. RESULTS: The sample population (N=1737) was largely in the age range of 45-64 years (51.2%), Male (56.4%), White (90.5%), non-Hispanic/Latino (86.6%), and Married (74.2%). The Pain group (n=1280) reported significantly fewer Strengths (p<0.001) and more average Challenges and Needs (p<0.001) than the Without Pain Group (n=457) across all concepts. For the Pain Group, the most frequent Strength reported was Role Change (70.5%), the most frequent Challenge Nutrition (96.1%), and the greatest Need was Income (89.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Despite reporting Challenges and Needs, the Pain Group identified many Strengths. The Pain Group identified Role Change (70.5%) as a top Strength was surprising and may suggest adaptability to chronic pain. MSMH has potential to empower individuals to provide a comprehensive whole-person assessment and resilience which may be particularly useful for those living with chronic pain. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: This study has clinical implications for supporting the use of digital health tools such as mobile applications for capturing contextual data directly from patients to enable nurses to provide more accessible and personalized care to patients.