School of Journalism and Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Oct 19;24(1):2884. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20382-3.
Food safety stands as a critical public health concern in China. People's perceptions and communication regarding food safety crises significantly impact their emotions and food preferences. The rise of social media has also complicated information sharing and decision-making. Exploring public's cognitive, emotional and behaviral responses toward food safety risks is crucial for improving food safety practices and public health.
From fall 2018 to fall 2023, 23 in-depth interviews were held using a semi-structured protocol aligned with the Risk Analysis Framework (RAF) components: risk assessment, communication, and management.
Our findings showed that the public blamed unethical agriculture practices and food processing for food safety issues. People, dissatisfied with mainstream media, turned to social media to collect food safety information. Many adopted self-protective behaviors, assuming personal responsibility for food safety.
Findings from this study highlighted individuals' concerns about environmental pollution and the use of chemical substances in food safety issues. The results underscored the need for accurate and prompt media coverage, stronger government regulation, industry self-regulation, and targeted consumer education to effectively tackle these challenges.
食品安全是中国的一个重大公共卫生问题。人们对食品安全危机的看法和沟通方式对他们的情绪和食物偏好有重大影响。社交媒体的兴起也使得信息共享和决策变得更加复杂。探索公众对食品安全风险的认知、情感和行为反应对于改善食品安全实践和公共卫生至关重要。
从 2018 年秋季到 2023 年秋季，采用半结构化协议进行了 23 次深入访谈，该协议与风险分析框架（RAF）的组成部分一致：风险评估、沟通和管理。
我们的研究结果表明，公众将食品安全问题归咎于不道德的农业实践和食品加工。人们对主流媒体感到不满，转而通过社交媒体收集食品安全信息。许多人采取了自我保护措施，对食品安全承担个人责任。
这项研究的结果突显了个人对环境污染和食品中化学物质使用的关注。研究结果强调需要进行准确和及时的媒体报道，加强政府监管、行业自律和有针对性的消费者教育，以有效应对这些挑战。
