Promoting the social implementation of digital and mobile health: effects of regulation on user and non-user behavior in East Asia.

This study conducted policy and regulation analyses and user acceptance surveys in three East Asian countries with developed telecommunication infrastructure (China, South Korea, and Japan) to determine the most effective way to implement mobile health (mHealth). Regional differences in users' emphasis on the purpose of mHealth, including medical information referral or health management, appear to be influenced by regional regulation, thus making regulation analysis important when considering mHealth penetration strategies. Potential mHealth users have high expectations for medical information and correspondence, which is crucial for the pharmaceutical industry in terms of providing information and retaining patients. Furthermore, potential users are willing to use the system medically, which is beneficial to the pharmaceutical industry when introducing mHealth and prescriptions in combination.

Using the Theory of Perceived Value to Determine the Willingness to Consume Foods from a Healthy Brand: The Role of Health Consciousness.

Eating low amounts of healthy foods leads to high rates of diet-related diseases. How can we control and reduce the increase in these diseases? One of the recommendations is to improve nutritional competence, which means greater health consciousness. The objective of the present study is to determine the influence of health consciousness on the dimensions of perceived value and their impact on the willingness to consume foods from a healthy brand. Through a non-experimental, cross-sectional, and explanatory study, the responses of 518 participants (men and women) who confirmed being consumers of the healthy brands of food were analyzed. The study included adults aged from 18 to 58 years recruited using non-probability sampling. Data was collected using a self-report form and statistically analyzed using Smart PLS. The findings support that health awareness positively and significantly influences perceived quality value, perceived financial value, perceived social value, and perceived emotional value; contrary to this, it was detected that the perceived financial value does not influence the willingness to consume foods from healthy brands. This study contributes significantly to health science by showing how the theory of perceived value predicts the intention to consume healthy brands, with health consciousness intervening in this prediction. Therefore, it is concluded that the study population that consumes healthy foods has experienced the positive impact of perceived value and reports that the factors that comprise it influence their intention to consume healthy foods.

Older Adults' Exposure to Food Media Induced Unhealthy Eating during the COVID-19 Omicron Lockdown? Exploring Negative Emotions and Associated Literacy and Efficacy on Shanghainese.

The COVID-19 pandemic, propelled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, had a global impact and significantly affected Shanghai, a major city in China. This study investigates how food media exposure influenced unhealthy eating habits among older adults during the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, focusing on the roles of negative emotions, food literacy, health consciousness, and eating self-efficacy. The random sample comprised 400 individuals aged ≥50 years who lived in Shanghai from March to June 2022. A path and correlation analysis was performed. The exposure of older adults to food media resulted in the acceleration of unhealthy eating. The relationship was significantly exacerbated by food literacy and negative emotions. In contrast, eating self-efficacy and health consciousness effectively countered the media. The enhanced pathway from food-related media influence to eating habits through negative emotions or self-efficacy towards health awareness and food literacy showed significant effects. The findings provide insights for future research and public health strategies. Importantly, this study has practical significance for media professionals, public health decision-makers, and healthy food businesses regarding how to enhance older adults' cognition to respond to unhealthy eating crises.

How Social Influence Promotes the Adoption of Mobile Health among Young Adults in China: A Systematic Analysis of Trust, Health Consciousness, and User Experience.

As mobile health (mHealth) offers several advantages in healthcare, researchers are exploring the motivational factors for its adoption. However, few studies have elucidated the complex relationship between social influence and behavioral intentions to adopt mHealth among young adults in China. This study explored the impact of social influence on young adults' behavioral intentions to adopt mHealth, the mediating roles of trust and health consciousness, and the moderating effect of mHealth user experience on the relationship between the predictors. In total, 300 valid responses were collected from a university in China, and a research model was developed. The partial least squares structural equation modeling method was used to verify the relationship between the main research variables. mHealth adoption behavioral intentions among young adults were significantly positively impacted by social influence; it indirectly increased mHealth adoption behavioral intentions by positively affecting trust and health consciousness. mHealth use weakened the positive impact of social influence on trust and health consciousness, while user experience positively moderated the relationship between health consciousness and behavioral intentions. Trust and health consciousness play important roles in the complex multivariate relationships between social influence and behavioral intentions to adopt mHealth. Future research should consider the moderating role of the mHealth user experience. These findings enrich the mHealth technology acceptance theory framework and provide specific guidance strategies for marketing mHealth applications.

Realization path and connotation of the Healthy China strategy: macroscopic perspective of dietary structure and the entry of individual health consciousness.

BACKGROUND: Dietary rationality and health concept have certain influence on individual health level. This study aims to explore the characteristics and existing problems of Chinese residents' health behaviors from both macro and micro perspectives, and explore the feasibility and realization path of Healthy China strategy. METHODS: We utilized regression models to evaluate the correlation between diet and the risk of disease causes of death. By use of the linear regression analysis model, we distinguished the impact of each dimension on health literacy index at the individual level. Then, we explored the influential factors of the diet health index using the binary logit regression model. RESULTS: Increased consumption of animal-derived foods in China has contributed to the burden of non-communicable diseases. The individuals' health awareness is still weak, and the health literacy index is greatly affected by the diet, while the individual gender and age are positively correlated with the diet health index, and the individual body mass index (BMI) level is negatively correlated with the diet health index. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided a comprehensive understanding of existing problems of Chinese residents' health behaviors. We have proposed a path model for the implementation of the Healthy China strategy from the perspectives of "diet health, physical health, conceptual health and environmental health," which is also a great contribution to the world.

Public acceptance towards plastic waste-to-energy gasification projects: The role of social trust and health consciousness.

Public acceptance plays an essential role in successfully constructing and operating innovative and evolving technologies that promote ecological sustainability and pollution reduction. The present study investigates the factors influencing public acceptance of plastic waste-to-energy gasification projects. The research added social trust and health consciousness to the theory of planned behavior. Using the structural equation modeling, 513 valid survey questionnaire responses from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, China, were analyzed. The most notable results reveal that attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control have a major impact on the public acceptability of the initiative. There was no correlation between social trust and public support for the project. Social trust affects public acceptance of the project through attitude. Health consciousness was shown to be favorably connected with public approval of the project both directly and indirectly through attitude. This study serves policymakers and stakeholders with robust policy recommendations to promote public acceptance of plastic waste-to-energy gasification schemes and other hazardous facilities.

Factorial invariance of college students' scores on the Lifestyle Practices and Health Consciousness Inventory.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the present study were to validate college students' scores on the Lifestyle Practices and Health Consciousness Inventory (LPHCI), a screening tool for appraising Global Wellness (combined mental and physical health) and test for differences in Global Wellness across key demographic variables associated with college student health. METHOD: A non-probability sample of 708 college students across four campus locations in three different cities was recruited to test the LPHCI's psychometric properties. RESULTS: Factorial invariance testing demonstrated psychometric equivalence in the meaning of Global Wellness between college students across ethnicity, generational status, and help-seeking history. We also found statistically, however, not practically significant demographic differences in Global Wellness between college students by ethnicity and help-seeking history. CONCLUSION: Findings extend the generalizability of LPHCI scores to a normative sample of college students. Implications for college healthcare providers and directions for future research are discussed.

Development and Initial Validation of Scores on The Lifestyle Practices and Health Consciousness Inventory-2: Brief Version.

We developed and validated scores on the Lifestyle Practices and Health Consciousness Inventory (LPHCI)-2: Brief Version, a short form for measuring global wellness (mental and physical health). Tests of internal structure (EFA, CFA, and higher-order CFA) as well as convergent validity supported the psychometric properties of LPHCI-2: Brief Version scores.

Exploring factors influencing domestic violence: a comprehensive study on intrafamily dynamics.

Introduction: This econometric analysis investigates the nexus between household factors and domestic violence. By considering diverse variables encompassing mood, depression, health consciousness, social media engagement, household chores, density, and religious affiliation, the study aims to comprehend the underlying dynamics influencing domestic violence. Methods: Employing econometric techniques, this study examined a range of household-related variables for their potential associations with levels of violence within households. Data on mood, depression, health consciousness, social media usage, household chores, density, and religious affiliation were collected and subjected to rigorous statistical analysis. Results: The findings of this study unveil notable relationships between the aforementioned variables and levels of violence within households. Positive mood emerges as a mitigating factor, displaying a negative correlation with violence. Conversely, depression positively correlates with violence, indicating an elevated propensity for conflict. Increased health consciousness is linked with diminished violence, while engagement with social media demonstrates a moderating influence. Reduction in the time allocated to household chores corresponds with lower violence levels. Household density, however, exhibits a positive association with violence. The effects of religious affiliation on violence manifest diversely, contingent upon household position and gender. Discussion: The outcomes of this research offer critical insights for policymakers and practitioners working on formulating strategies for preventing and intervening in instances of domestic violence. The findings emphasize the importance of considering various household factors when designing effective interventions. Strategies to bolster positive mood, alleviate depression, encourage health consciousness, and regulate social media use could potentially contribute to reducing domestic violence. Additionally, the nuanced role of religious affiliation underscores the need for tailored approaches based on household dynamics, positioning, and gender.

Validation of the Health Consciousness Scale among the Czech Population.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of maintaining good health. It became has become apparent that health consciousness is a crucial factor in promoting healthy lifestyles, disease prevention, and the overall well-being of individuals. A higher level of health consciousness is associated with healthy habits, better adherence to medical recommendations, and a higher quality of life. Therefore, health consciousness is a critical construct in health care that reflects the degree to which individuals care about their health. This study, which is based on a representative sample of the adult population (n = 1372), aims to validate the Health Consciousness Scale (HCS) to assess its reliability and validity, and evaluate the factor structure of the translated version of the scale in the Czech language. The validation of the HCS in the Czech context is a significant step forward and provides useful information for healthcare professionals, policymakers, and researchers. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of health consciousness in the Czech population and provide unique information for the development and evaluation of health interventions aimed at promoting healthy behaviors and attitudes.

Knowledgeability about organic food consumption and the factors behind it.

Introduction: The popularity of organic food is in increasing trend due to the increased existence of synthetic food worldwide. Hence it is very important to know the knowledge level of city dwellers regarding various aspects of organic food and factors associated with their awareness level. Objectives: The primary objective of this research study is to develop a standardized knowledge test to assess the knowledge level of respondents regarding organic food and find out the factors behind elevated knowledge levels. Methods: A standardized knowledge test was developed comprising 26 knowledge items and pilot tested on 42 individuals. Difficulty index, discrimination index and point biserial correlation coefficient were calculated; only 21 knowledge statements were selected out of 26. The reliability coefficient and validity were checked and found satisfactory. The final knowledge test containing 21 knowledge statements was administered to 1050 respondents from various locations of the National Capital Region (NCR)-Delhi, India. After getting the knowledge score from each individual, it was classified as very low, low, medium, high and very high knowledge level. For determining factors contributing towards enhanced knowledge level, the correlation coefficient was calculated between independent socio-economic variables of each individual and their corresponding knowledge score. Regression analysis was also performed and developed a model to depict a relationship between the dependent variable i.e. knowledge level and independent variables. Results: Standardized knowledge test depicted that a major portion of respondents (62.0%) possessed very low, low and medium levels of knowledge, whereas 23.5 and 14.5% of respondents had high and very high levels of knowledge regarding organic food. Independent variables like gender, education, family size, family income, internet, mass media exposure and social participation had a positive relationship with the knowledge level of respondents. The results of regression analysis show that education (X2), total annual income (X3), gender (X6), participation in various organizations like the club, societies, etc. (X8), health consciousness of individual (X11), perception of organic food (X13); could explain the major share of ~62.1% of the variation in dependent variable i.e. knowledge level. Conclusion: The developed standardized knowledge test for the present study was found valid and appropriate research tool for evaluating the knowledge level of urban citizens regarding organic food. The majority of respondents had a positive attitude towards organic food but possessed low to medium knowledge levels regarding organic food. Occasional awareness campaigns and capacity-building programs regarding various aspects of organic food in educational institutes, residential societies and through mass media can be beneficial to society.

Association between health indifference and problem drinking using a nationwide internet survey.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the vulnerable populations and problem drinking in terms of health inequality. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between health indifference estimated by Health Interest Scale (HIS) and problem drinking identified by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing data from a nationwide internet survey in Japan in 2022. The number of total participants was 29,377, with 49% of them being male, and the mean age was 47.9 (±17.9) years. The participants were categorized into the following groups based on the quintiles of HIS score: health indifference (0-16), low health interest (17-20), middle health interest (21-22), middle-high interest (23-26) and high health interest (27-36) groups. Problem drinking was identified as AUDIT score of ≥8 points. RESULTS: The association between health indifference and problem drinking was explored through logistic regression with adjustment for various socioeconomic status, such as education, income level, and occupation; the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 1.72 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.51-1.95]. CONCLUSION: Health indifferent or lower health interest groups were a vulnerable population for problem drinking, regardless of their socioeconomic status. It could be useful to identify the health indifferent group through HIS and to monitor the impact of health intervention for this group for the reduction of health inequality.

A Comparative Study of Periodontal Health Status between International and Domestic University Students in Japan.

BACKGROUND: In our previous study, international university students showed a significantly higher dental caries morbidity rate than domestic students. On the other hand, the periodontal health status of international university students has not been clarified yet. In this study, we compared the periodontal health status of international and domestic university students in Japan. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of the clinical data of the university students that visited a dental clinic in the division for health service promotion at a university in Tokyo for screening between April 2017 and March 2019. Bleeding on probing (BOP), calculus deposition and probing pocket depth (PPD) were investigated. RESULTS: The records of 231 university students (79 international and 152 domestic university students) were analyzed; 84.8% of international students were from Asian countries (n = 67). The international university students showed a higher percentage of BOP than domestic students (49.4% and 34.2%, respectively: p < 0.05) and they showed more extensive calculus deposition (calculus grading score [CGS]) than domestic university students (1.68 and 1.43, respectively: p < 0.01), despite no significant difference in PPD. CONCLUSIONS: The current study shows that international university students have poorer periodontal health than domestic students in Japan, even though the result might include many uncertainties and possible biases. To prevent severe periodontitis in the future, regular checkups and thorough oral health care are essential for the university students, especially those from foreign countries.

Adopting an Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour to Examine Buying Intention and Behaviour of Nutrition-Labelled Menu for Healthy Food Choices in Quick Service Restaurants: Does the Culture of Consumers Really Matter?

This research aims to examine an extended model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to understand the determinants of consumers' intentions to buy and recommend nutrition-labelled menu (NLM) items for making healthy food choices. The research examines the influence of attitude towards behaviour (ATT), subjective norms (SNs), perceived behavioural control (PBC) and health consciousness on consumers' intentions to buy and recommend NLM. The research also examines the role of culture in shaping buying and recommendation intentions of NLM by undertaking a comparative study of the extended model among consumers in two different countries that have enough variation based on Hofstede's cultural dimensions, i.e., the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Kingdom (UK). The results of questionnaire surveys analysed with SmartPLS version 4 showed that ATT, SNs and health consciousness significantly predict intentions to buy NLM items among KSA consumers in quick service restaurants (QSRs). However, PBC did not have a significant influence on KSA consumers' intentions to buy NLM items. On the other hand, ATT, PBC and health consciousness significantly predict intentions to buy NLM items among UK consumers in QSRs. Nonetheless, SNs did not have a significant influence on UK consumers' intentions to buy NLM items. The intention to buy NLM significantly predicts the intentions to recommend NLM among consumers in both countries (KSA and UK). The results of a multi-group analysis showed significant differences between the KSA and the UK regarding the influence of both SNs and PBC on consumers' intentions to buy NLMs as well as on their indirect influence on intentions to recommend NLM items. The results value the role of culture in shaping consumers' intentions to buy and to recommend NLM items for healthy food choices, which has numerous implications for international QSRs, policy makers, and academics.

Consumer Intention to Utilize an E-Commerce Platform for Imperfect Vegetables Based on Health-Consciousness.

Thailand has a problem with fruit and vegetable waste because consumers have a negative attitude towards fruit and vegetables with imperfect shapes; however, those imperfections have no impact on nutritional quality. Young adults are most aware of the problem of food waste. Here, we study factors influencing consumer' intention to adopt an e-commerce platform that commercializes imperfect vegetables (ugly veggies). In all, 390 respondents from four provinces of Thailand were enrolled in the study. Cluster analysis, structural equation modeling, and multigroup moderation analysis approaches were used. The main conceptual framework was adapted from the unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology. Respondents were classified into low, moderate, and high health-conscious segments. We found that performance expectancy positively influences the behavioral intention of highly health-conscious consumers. For consumers in the moderate health-consciousness segment, effort expectancy and social influence positively affect behavioral intention. None of the hypothesized factors influence the low health-consciousness segment's behavioral intention. This paper expands the understanding of consumer' attitudes toward accepting an imperfect vegetable e-commerce platform. Additionally, the research can guide platform development and marketing efforts.

Self-Reported Parental Healthy Dietary Behavior Relates to Views on Child Feeding and Health and Diet Quality.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether parental views on child feeding and its impact on health differ between those parents whose self-perception was that they followed a healthy diet to those who do not. Furthermore, differences in the child's diet quality and weight were compared between the groups. Parents of 2-6-year-old children (n = 738), recruited from child health clinics throughout Finland, answered semi-structured questionnaires on their views on child feeding and health as well as their child's diet quality. Participants were divided into two groups based on their self-perceived report of following a healthy diet: health-conscious (HC, n = 396) and non-health-conscious (non-HC, n = 342) parents. HC parents considered health, eating behavior, and nutrient-related factors more often when feeding their child than non-HC parents (<0.001 < p < 0.03). Moreover, they more commonly considered diet to have an important impact on their child's long-term health than the non-HC parents (<0.001 < p < 0.05). Children of HC parents were more likely to have a good diet quality (p = 0.01) and lower BMI-SDS values (p = 0.015) than those of non-HC parents. Parental health consciousness was linked with better diet quality and healthier weight in their children. This information may be useful in the regular clinical monitoring of children's health.

A Psychometric and Relative Importance Evaluation of Health Literacy and Health Consciousness on COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors Among Hispanic Adults.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic's disproportionate impact on Hispanic individuals in the United States, research examining modifiable psychosocial correlates of COVID-19 preventive behaviors in this population is warranted. Prior research highlights health literacy and health consciousness as integral for the establishment of health-promoting behaviors. Notwithstanding, very little research has validated theory-based measures for health literacy and health consciousness and no research has investigated their relative importance in explaining behaviors that prevent COVID-19 illness among Hispanic individuals. This information is necessary for informing behavioral interventions seeking to promote the well-being of Hispanic people during the current pandemic and in future ones. This study provides a psychometric evaluation of the General Health Literacy Scale (GHLS) and the Health Consciousness Scale (HCS) and further examines their association with conventional COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Confirmatory factor analyses evaluated the psychometric properties of GHLS and HCS. Four separate hierarchical linear regressions, followed by dominance analyses, estimated the relative importance of health literacy and health consciousness on COVID-19 preventive behaviors, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Both GHLS and HCS achieved adequate psychometric criteria, and holding constant sociodemographic characteristics, positively related to COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Although both health literacy and health consciousness were more important than sociodemographic characteristics in explaining COVID-19 preventive behaviors, health consciousness was most important, exceeding the explanatory power of health literacy in all regressions. COVID-19 public health campaigns that seek to raise health awareness among Hispanic people might prove more effective than campaigns that only seek to improve their health literacy.

An investigation on information quality, media richness, and social media fatigue during the disruptions of COVID-19 pandemic.

Mobile social platforms have become a valuable information source by which users gain information about the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about whether users have experienced increased daily fatigue as a result of the disruptions caused by pandemic. Drawing on the cognitive activation theory of stress (CATS), this study proposed that two typical characteristics of social media platforms (SMP), information quality and media richness, are associated with event disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic (EDC), and then induce social media fatigue. To address this, this study used the experience sampling method (ESM), collecting 550 matched cases from 110 users of the WeChat application in mainland China over five consecutive days. Through multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM), this study discovered three main findings: (1) daily information quality is negatively related to event disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, which in turn decreases daily social media fatigue; (2) daily media richness is positively associated with such event disruptions, which ultimately increases daily social media fatigue; (3) these effects were stronger for users who reported higher (vs. lower) levels of health consciousness. The implications of these results for the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond are discussed.

Consumers' Preferences and Attitudes towards Plant-Based Milk.

Plant-based milk (PBM) has become increasingly popular due to its environmental sustainability, health benefits, ingredient abundance, and unique taste. This study aims to identify the main factors that affect consumer preferences and attitudes towards PBM, and to examine the effect of consumer attitudes including environmental awareness, health consciousness, and food neophobia on WTP. We use the double-bounded dichotomy choice (DBDC) method to calculate consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for PBM. We find that the appearance, taste, nutritional value, and environmental benefits of PBM significantly increase consumers' WTP for it. Consumers with high environmental awareness are more likely to perceive PBM as environmentally friendly and are willing to pay a higher price for it. Consumers with high health consciousness tend to value the environmental benefits of PBM and prioritize purchase convenience, as it aligns with their health-conscious lifestyle, leading to a higher WTP for PBM. The results of our study can help design effective strategies to market plant-based milk and develop sustainable and healthy food systems.

Does knowledge and concern regarding food supplement safety affect the behavioral intention of consumers? An experimental study on the theory of reasoned action.

In recent years, health crises have led consumers to make more frequent purchases of food supplements. The global food supplement market, which reached $61.20 billion in 2020, is estimated to reach $163.12 billion by 2022 and $350.96 billion by 2032. However, many consumers still have concerns about the safety of food supplements. Within the scope of the research, firstly, the health consciousness (HC) level of food supplement consumers was determined. Secondly, food safety knowledge (FSK) and food safety concerns (FSCs) were measured. Thirdly, consumers' attitudes (ATUs), subjective norms (SNs), and behavioral intentions (BIs) toward food supplements were determined within the scope of the theory of reasoned action. The study used a convenient sampling, and 327 participants were included in the sample population. The data for the analysis was collected using the online survey method in the third quarter of 2023. The relationships between hypothesized items in the structural model were tested using the Smart-PLS. The validity and reliability of the measurement model were evaluated at the start of the structural equation modelling approach using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Regression analyses were performed in the structural model phase to evaluate overall fit and suggested relationships by way of the Smart-PLS. In light of the findings, it was determined that the interaction between HC and ATU was mediated by FSK, and the interaction between HC and the SN was mediated by FSK. Consequently, this research presents a variety of theoretical and practical implications to give clues for consumers' health regarding food supplement consumption.