Avian influenza risk perception and live poultry purchase in Guangzhou, China, 2006.

Human H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infection is associated with intimate exposure to live poultry. Perceptions of risk can modify behaviors, influencing actual exposure. However, greater hazard is not necessarily followed by perception of greater risk and more precautionary behavior because self-serving cognitive biases modulate precautionary and hazardous behaviors.

Live poultry exposures, Hong Kong and Hanoi, 2006.

Since 1997, the largest epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) ever recorded has caused 172 human and several billion bird deaths. Recently administered questionnaires determined that live poultry exposures have declined by approximately 63% in Hong Kong since 2004 and that, in Vietnam, domestic backyard exposures to poultry are likely more important than retail exposures.

The Chinese Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale-revised (C-MISS-R): development and validation.

Background: The Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale (MISS) measures patient consultation satisfaction. We validated a translated short-form of the original MISS on Hong Kong Chinese women with breast cancer.

Methods: The four highest scoring MISS Cognitive and Affective sub-scales items were administered in Chinese (C-MISS) to 224 female out patients.

Avian influenza risk perception, Hong Kong.

A telephone survey of 986 Hong Kong households determined exposure and risk perception of avian influenza from live chicken sales. Householders bought 38,370,000 live chickens; 11% touched them when buying, generating 4,220,000 exposures annually; 36% (95% confidence interval [CI] 33%-39%) perceived this as risky, 9% (7%-11%) estimated >50% likelihood of resultant sickness, whereas 46% (43%-49%) said friends worried about such sickness. Recent China travel (adjusted odds ratio 0.

Predicting psychological morbidity in Chinese women after surgery for breast carcinoma.

Background: Between 30% and 70% of western women experience psychological morbidity after undergoing surgery for breast carcinoma; however, the rates and risk factors among Chinese women are unknown. Identifying at-risk women enables preventive intervention.

Methods: Among 430 Chinese women who were approached within 1 week after undergoing surgery for early-stage breast carcinoma (baseline), 405 women (94%) completed measures of self-efficacy and psychological morbidity (the Chinese Health Questionnaire 12-item instrument [CHQ12]) and completed retrospective measures of treatment decision-making (TDM) difficulties, satisfaction with TDM involvement, and satisfaction with consultation and treatment outcome expectations.

Surgeon's recommendation, perceived operative efficacy and age dictate treatment choice by Chinese women facing breast cancer surgery.

Purpose: to identify factors influencing Chinese women's choices between breast-conserving therapy (BCT), mastectomy (MRM) or MRM followed by breast reconstruction (MRM+R).

Methods: of 405/443 Hong Kong Chinese women receiving surgery for early breast cancer who were interviewed one week post-surgery about their pre-surgical consultation, available treatment alternatives, whether their surgeons had indicated a surgical preference, perceived efficacy of the surgical options and considerations influencing their treatment decisions (TDM), 198 (49%) reported they were offered a choice of surgery.

Results: among women offered a choice of surgery, BCT was chosen by 34/43 (79%) of women whose surgeons recommended BCT but by only 34/96 (37%) of women whose surgeons expressed no treatment recommendation.