背景:抗生素已广泛用于食用动物的饲料和饮用水中,以防止它们生病。抗生素的这种预防性使用已经成为增加抗生素抗性的原因,因此对人类健康构成威胁。然而,消费者对这种做法以及增加抗生素残留和抗生素抗性细菌传播的相关健康风险知之甚少。本研究旨在检验信息提供对消费者风险感知的影响,支持禁令,以及在食用动物中预防性使用抗生素的行为意图。尤其是,该研究试图测试两个相互竞争的假设,这两个假设是由恐惧诉求理论的两个理论观点——线性模型和高原效应模型提供的。前者认为,与仅提供其中一种的信息相比,提供有关抗生素残留和抗生素抗性细菌的健康风险的信息会产生更大的影响,虽然后者认为提供关于这两种风险的信息可能不会产生额外的影响,因为信息对这两种风险的影响都可能达到平稳状态。
方法:进行了一项针对四种情况的实验研究,参与者首先阅读与预防性使用相关的健康风险的不同信息,然后回答有关消费者风险认知的问题。支持禁令,以及关于预防性使用的行为意图。条件1是控制条件,关于抗生素的基本信息,抗生素耐药性,并提供了预防性使用。由于预防性使用,条件2和条件3进一步增加了有关抗生素残留(条件2)和抗生素抗性细菌(条件3)的健康风险的信息,分别。条件4提供了前三个条件中包含的所有信息。
结果:结果表明,与对照条件下的参与者相比,条件2-4中的参与者报告了更高的风险认知,更强烈地支持禁止预防性使用,以及购买未预防性使用抗生素生产的肉类的意愿更高。然而,这些因素在条件2-4之间没有显着差异,这表明提供了任何一种抗生素残留的健康风险信息,或者抗生素抗性细菌,或者两者兼而有之,对这些变量有类似的影响。也就是说,基于高原效应模型的假设得到了支持。
结论:研究结果表明,告知公众与预防性使用相关的抗生素残留或抗生素抗性细菌的健康风险足以有效地达到增加风险认知的平台效应。支持禁令,和行为意图,这对政策制定者和畜牧业制定有效的沟通策略以促进食用动物中负责任的抗生素使用具有重要意义。
BACKGROUND: Antibiotics have been widely used in feed and drinking water for food animals to prevent them from getting sick. Such preventive use of antibiotics has become a contributor to increasing antibiotic resistance and thus poses threats to human health. However, consumers have little knowledge about this practice and the associated health risks of increasing transmission of antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistant bacteria. This study aimed to examine the effect of information provision on consumers\' risk perceptions, support for a ban, and behavioral intention regarding the preventive use of antibiotics in food animals. Especially, the study sought to test two competing hypotheses which were informed by two theoretical perspectives of fear appeal theory - the linear model and the plateau effect model. The former suggested that providing information on the health risks of both antibiotic residues and antibiotic resistant bacteria would have a stronger effect compared to providing information on only one of them, while the latter posited that providing information on both risks might not have additional influence, as the effect of information on either risk could reach the plateau.
METHODS: An experimental study with four conditions was conducted where participants read different information on the health risks associated with the preventive use first and then answered questions regarding consumers\' risk perceptions, support for a ban, and behavioral intention regarding the preventive use. Condition 1 was the control condition, where basic information about antibiotics, antibiotic resistance, and the preventive use was provided. Condition 2 and Condition 3 further added information on the health risk of antibiotic residues (Condition 2) and antibiotic resistant bacteria (Condition 3) due to the preventive use, respectively. Condition 4 provided all information contained in the first three conditions.
RESULTS: The results showed that compared to participants in the control condition, participants in Conditions 2-4 reported higher risk perceptions, stronger support for a ban on the preventive use, and a higher intention to buy meat produced without the preventive use of antibiotics. However, there were no significant differences in these factors between Conditions 2-4, indicating that providing information on the health risk of either antibiotic residues, or antibiotic resistant bacteria, or both, has similar effect on these variables. That is, the hypothesis based on the plateau effect model was supported.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that informing the public with the health risk of either antibiotic residues or antibiotic resistant bacteria associated with the preventive use is effective enough to reach plateau effect in increasing risk perceptions, support for a ban, and behavioral intention, which has important implications for policymakers and livestock industries to develop effective communication strategies to promote responsible antibiotic use in food animals.