Public smog knowledge,risk perception,and intention to reduce car use: Evidence from China

ABSTRACT

Smog pollution has received widely attention in recent years due to its negative effects. There is consensus that the motor vehicle exhaust emission is one of the sources of smog pollution and reduced private car use would significantly improve the air quality and alleviate the smog pollution problem. In this research, we aim to investigate how public smog knowledge and risk perception (physical health risk perception and mental health risk perception) affect public attitude and intention to reduce car use. A questionnaire survey of 334 randomly sampled respondents was designed to test these relationships. The results show that public smog knowledge is positively and significantly related to physical health risk perception, mental health risk perception, attitude and intention to reduce car use. Public smog knowledge has the largest impact on intention to reduce car use. Furthermore, physical health risk perception and mental health risk perception are positively and significantly associated with attitude and intention to reduce car use. In addition, the results also indicated that public smog knowledge is at a low level. Based on the results, implications and suggestions for future research were discussed.     

Dream interpretation sessions for college students in Taiwan: Who benefits and what volunteer clients view as most and least helpful.

The purpose of the study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Attitudes Toward Dream measure (ATD) and examine the outcome of dream interpretation for college students in Taiwan. In a sample of 574 college students, factor analysis revealed a single factor for the ATD-Chinese. In the second stage, 60 volunteer clients were assigned randomly to an experimental or control condition. Significant differences were found between experimental and control conditions for postsession ATD-Chinese scores. Initial attitudes toward dreams did not influence perceived gains from dream sessions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A survey of overweight,body shape perception and eating attitude of Korean female university students

[Purpose]

We obtained basic data on a proper weight loss training program by considering the relationship between body mass index (BMI), the perception of appearance, and eating attitudes of Korean female university students.

[Methods]

The survey and anthropometry for the perception of appearance and eating attitudes were conducted targeting 657 female university students located in Seoul, Busan, Ulsan, Daejeon, Chungcheongnam-do, and Gangwon-do South Korea who were not specializing in physical education.

[Results]

The underweight group accounted for 21.16% of the population, the normal weight group comprised 69.71%, the overweight group was 6.09%, and the obese group accounted for 3.04%. The satisfaction rate of appearance was 56.16%, the dissatisfaction rate was 43.84%, and normal-weight students who were dissatisfied with their own appearance comprised 48.5%. The More obese students were more dissatisfied with their appearance. As a result of investigating eating attitudes, 37.75% of all subjects had a risk for an eating disorder, and 38.6% were normal weight but showed a risk for an eating disorder. More obese (BMI) subjects were at higher risk for an eating disorder.

[Conclusion]

The BMIs of the Korean female university students were lower than those of European and American Caucasian women students, but the dissatisfaction of Korean female university students with their appearances was greater than that of European and American students, indicating that more Korean female university students were suffering from an eating disorder. It is predicted that the incidence of eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, will rise in Korean women if there is no accurate understanding and measure to identify the high risk group for an eating disorder.     

Evaluating the Influence of the Presence of a Dog on Bias toward Individuals with Overweight and Obesity

Individuals with overweight and obesity are subject to enormous bias and discrimination across domains. This bias constitutes a considerable public health problem beyond the effects of excess weight on health. Unfortunately, the few interventions that have been implemented to reduce this bias have not been successful. Evidence that the presence of an animal makes individuals and settings appear more attractive, desirable, approachable, and relaxed, as well as happier and safer, suggests that dog ownership may be a simple way to reduce weight bias. Accordingly, we tested whether the presence of a dog can reduce weight bias in a sample of 314 online participants. Each participant was presented with a stimulus image representing one of three conditions (person with dog, person with plant, or person alone), and was then asked to rate the human model using three measures. Two sets of stimuli (featuring different models) were used to ensure that findings were not restricted to a particular model. Contrary to our predictions, we found no evidence that the presence of a dog affects endorsement of weight-related stereotypes, general evaluations, or desire for social distance. These findings contrast with a large body of literature showing that dogs enhance perceptions of a range of individuals and settings. The effect of dogs on perceptions may be restricted in the case of weight bias because of the pervasive, explicit, and severe nature of this bias. Dogs may have stronger effects on attitudes that are less openly endorsed. Promising avenues where dogs are very likely to influence attitudes include perceptions of individuals of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, and even political parties.     

Public perceptions of a white‐tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla L.) restoration program

The historic persecution and decline of European raptor populations precipitated the use of reintroduction as a species restoration tool in the late twentieth century. One of the key requirements of the World Conservation Union reintroduction guidelines concerns the need for social feasibility studies to explore the attitudes of local human populations toward restoration and reintroduction proposals. Ahead of any formal proposals to reintroduce white‐tailed sea eagles to Cumbria, United Kingdom, we conducted a baseline public attitudinal survey (n = 300). We identified broad public support for this reintroduction, which transcended differences in the demographic, geographic, and employment profiles of the study cohort. There was public recognition that white‐tailed sea eagles could deliver a broad range of socioeconomic and environmental benefits with few detrimental impacts. Although the value of attitudinal surveys of this nature has been questioned, we would argue that they provide a useful baseline “snapshot” ahead of a more structured and focused reintroduction consultation. These results reinforce the emergence of public interest in the restoration of European raptors in the late twentieth and early twenty‐first century.     

Positive implicit attitudes toward odor words

Associations between certain odors and for instance health effects may lead to positive or negative attitudes toward these odors. However, in experiments we conducted using the Implicit Association Test (IAT), we encountered attitudes even to odor "words." The IAT is based on the principle that reaction times measuring the association between words from a target dimension (in this case, odor vs. a neutral reference category) and an attribute dimension (i.e., positive or negative words) reflect the attitude to the target, where attitude-congruent associations between target and attribute are reflected by shorter reaction times. In a first experiment, we found distinctly positive attitudes to the concept odor in a student sample, which was replicated in a second experiment. In the main experiment, subjects in the aromatherapy group, who prefer using scented consumer products for relaxation purposes, showed a significantly more positive attitude toward odor words in the IAT than a control group, who did not have such a preference. The fact that results from the implicit test were not always associated with explicitly stated attitudes toward the odor words attests to the fact that the IAT measures the attitude of interest in a different way. As such, the IAT has added value in circumstances where explicit tests can be biased.     

Ornamental traits modification by Rol genes in Osteospermum ecklonis transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Summary Transgenic plants of Osteospermum ecklonis were produced by cocultivation of leaf fragments with Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring rol genes from A. rhizogenes. The phenotypic alterations caused by the different transgenes were evaluated in field trials. The genetic manipulation produced transgenic plants characterized by the following features: 1) increased number of flowers (e.g., 35SrolC and rolABC); 2) early flowering (e.g., 35SrolC); 3) change of plant growth habit: erect (rolAB, rolABC and 35SrolC) with an increased number of branches (e.g., rolABC). The color of leaves was pale green in 35SrolC and dark green in rolAB transgenic plants. In conclusion this work reports: 1) genetic engineering of the ornamental species O. ecklonis, 2) modification of the main ornamental traits of this species by rol genes, and 3) segregation of the transgenes in the progeny.     

Perceptions of biodiversity, environmental services, and conservation of planted mangroves: a case study on Nijhum Dwip Island, Bangladesh

Restoration of mangroves is often considered a way to minimize losses incurred from their decline and to provide additional services to coastal communities. However, the success of restoration programs is often focused on biological or ecological criteria. The situation is no exception in Bangladesh, which houses the world’s largest mangrove plantations. This study has been undertaken in a south-central estuarine island (Nijhum Dwip) of the Bangladesh coast and aims to understand societal perception on the achievements of a plantation program. Through 110 household interviews and seven group discussions, an assessment was conducted of peoples’ perception about major flora and fauna of the mangrove ecosystem, benefits derived from the forest, present condition of the forest, causes of degradation, and ways to improve the situation. Around one-fourth of the respondents mentioned that they were highly dependent on the ecosystem. The most important perceived benefits were: provision of raw materials, prevention against natural disasters, climate regulation and soil retention. However, the majority (>80%) of the respondents perceived the ecosystem to be degrading. Encroachment and illicit felling were identified as the main causes of such degradation. In order to arrest the continued degradation allowed by conventional forest management flaws, adaptive co-management has been recommended to conserve this ecosystem in a more equitable way.     

中国居民环境保护意愿的调查分析

调查了不同因素对我国居民环境态度的影响,从国家安全和农户意愿双重角度分析了我国生态环境保护政策的运行状况.结果表明:我国公民的生态环保意识普遍提高,公众的环保意识与经济收入的关系符合环境经济库兹涅茨(Kuznets)曲线.这主要是因为大部分贫困人口生活在环境恶劣的城市周边地区或环境严重退化的偏远山区,而城市化的快速发展也加剧了城市的环境恶化;通过年龄与环境态度的比较分析发现,我国居民对环境严重恶化的关切程度及对政府开展环境保护的支持力度增强;发展经济、强化教育、改善居民的生活质量是制定环境保护政策不可忽视的重要内容.