Media Source Characteristics Regarding Food Fraud Misinformation According to the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) in China: Comparative Study

Abstract

Background Ongoing rumors and fake news regarding food fraud, adulteration, and contamination are highly visible. Health risk information circulating through media and interpersonal communication channels has made health crisis an important research agenda. Objective This study explored the issue of food fraud and the effect of misinformation. Further, it assessed whether and how these issues have provided evidence-based interventions for food handlers and regulators to mitigate fraud misinformation. Methods The Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) was adopted for a collaborative study in China, after which a cross-sectional survey with door-to-door interviews was performed. Participants from Beijing and Hefei were selected using multistage sampling of adults in May 2017. Based on 4 government surveillance reports on food rumors and safety incidents, a descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, and analysis of variance were performed on the data. Results A total of 3090 results were gathered and analyzed. Among the respondents, 83.6% (2584/3090) heard at least one food rumor. Learning about food fraud was correlated with interpersonal connections (eg, doctors or health specialists) for accessing food health information. Overall, Chinese citizens with a higher level of interpersonal connection were more likely to be concerned about food incidents with a statistical difference (P<.001). Interpersonal connection was the most frequent communication source (698/1253, 55.7%), followed by traditional media (325/1253, 25.9%) and internet portals (144/1253, 11.5%). There was a significant relationship between media use and media category in Beijing (P<.001) and Hefei (P<.001). Overall, responses to food fraud and incident risks were lower in Beijing than in Hefei (P=.006). The respondents in Beijing were confronted more frequently by food rumors (range 346-1253) than those in Hefei (range 155-946). The urban dwellers in Beijing and their rural counterparts in Hefei also differed in terms of perceiving different levels of food risks from different media sources. The food rumor narratives that examined the conspiracy belief showed that social media played more important roles in influencing attitudes against misinformation for users in Hefei than in Beijing. Conclusions This study shows that consumers have to be on guard against not only fake food, but also spreading fake information and rumors, as well as conspiracy beliefs involving fake food. This study focused on characterizing media sources, types of food fraud misinformation, and risk perceptions of food safety, which mix urgency and suspicion, and attempted to provide evidence-based interventions for risk management guidance, with the hypothesis of significant correlations between media types and sources, and consumer exposure and perception levels of food rumors and risks.

Social capital and health information seeking in China

“…Data were collected in two Chinese cities: Beijing (the capital of China) and Hefei (a second-tier and capital city in Anhui Province). The target population was aged between 18 to 60 years [79]. In each city, respondents from urban and subsidiary rural areas were included.…”

Japanese consumers’ interpretation of food origin information and their preferences for domestic foods

“…Additionally, even though it was not statistically significant, it is possible that some of the participants who used magazines and books as their main source of information would be more likely to prefer domestic products. As Chang et al. (2022) reported, fake news on food safety is not limited to interpersonal communication and the internet; it also pervades traditional media, including books and magazines, which are likely to include false information.…”

“…Additionally, even though it was not statistically significant, it is possible that some of the participants who used magazines and books as their main source of information would be more likely to prefer domestic products. As Chang et al (2022) reported, fake news on food safety is not limited to interpersonal communication and the internet; it also pervades traditional media, including books and magazines, which are likely to include false information. In particular, NFS 54,3 books, magazines (which sometimes contain sensational articles not necessarily based on scientific evidence) and informal conversations cannot be corrected quickly, even if they contain misinformation.…”

Predicting and Empowering Health for Generation Z by Comparing Health Information Seeking and Digital Health Literacy: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study

“…Thus, HINTS has been applied to various studies on cigarette smoking, cancer, food fraud, and HISB in the Chinese context. For instance, in 2022 Chang et al [48] used the HINTS to investigate individuals' preferences for health information channels and sources of health rumors among Chinese adults in mainland China. The study found that respondents preferred to visit their physicians for health information, whereas they primarily received health rumors through the internet, family members, and friends.…”

“…Participants were asked about their sources of health information and frequency of seeking health information. Nine information sources of 3 traditional media, including television, radio, and newspapers or magazines; 3 web-based media, including websites or search engines, social media, and health-related or news applications; and 3 interpersonal sources, including physicians or health specialists, family members, and friends or colleagues were measured [48]. Four-point frequency scales were used, ranging from 1 (never) to 4 (always).…”