This dissertation addresses research questions related to defining user's trust and risk perceptions associated with social networking usage behavior in relation to the repeated privacy and security breaches. The general research question is explored in the dissertation via the conduct of three related studies. The finding from these three investigations are presented in the results section as 3 essays that collectively examine the social networking sites usage behavior. Essay 1 proposes a conceptual model based on the review of multiple breaches. The review provides a conceptual model which is further analyzed using a quantitative survey in the second essay. Essay 2 measures the trust and risk perceptions associated with different sources of information when presented with multiple breaches. This portion of the research used a quantitative method that included surveying of college students from University of North Texas (UNT) to understand the relation between user's trust and risk perceptions. Essay 3 examines the social networking usage behavior on account of repeated privacy and security breaches. This essay uses the insights from the other two essays to identify the usage behavior and how it is affected. The proposed model was tested using a survey questionnaire method. Results show a significant relationship between the positives, negatives, technology usage, repeated breaches that impacts usage behavior. The dissertation concludes with a summary of how the three essays make a cumulative contribution to the literature as well as providing practical guidance that identifies social networking usage behavior.

Communicating the risks related to extreme heat is important and essential for saving lives. This study looks at how tourists think about extreme heat in a hot and dry environment. It looks at relationships between an individual’s local climate, their thoughts about the current weather conditions, and demographics. The results from this study are intended to help tourist agencies, emergency managers and emergency planners, and policymakers in creating and carrying out communication strategies for extreme heat. Thoughts about and physical responses to weather are different for everyone and shaped by personal experiences. How one thinks and feels about the weather is influenced by a lifetime of personal experiences, unique to each person. However, the connection between an individual’s experience and that of his/her understanding of weather-related risk, more specifically risk in extremely hot conditions, has yet to be studied. From 1988 to 2017 extreme heat events have killed more people in the US than any other weather-related hazard (i.e. tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, etc.). By understanding how an individual perceives weather conditions, we can begin to better understand best practices for communicating the risks of extreme heat with the intent of saving lives. There are three primary findings from this study. First is that visitors were likely to overestimate the temperature when it was cooler, but underestimate the temperature when it was hotter. Second, risk perceptions of visitors did not increase during hotter days. Lastly, visitors were not more likely to perform protective behaviors, such as checking the weather or carrying water, on hotter days. If extreme heat conditions do not influence visitors’ behaviors, they are placing themselves more at risk to extreme heat exposure.

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Functional foods constitute a growing focus for research, product development and consumer interest in recent years. This study investigated the factors that affect willingness to pay for high fibre food on the market as well as respondents’ attitude towards the purchase of these products. The results indicated that those consumers in the high income group were more health conscious than their low income counterparts and willing to pay for high fibre products. The results showed that health risk perceptions as well as regulatory programmes affected consumers’ willingness to pay. The results also showed that at low percentage prices consumers were willing to pay for high fibre products. Gender and marital status did not seem to have an influence on willingness to buy for any of the selected products. Findings of the study could encourage food manufacturers to carry on with developments of functional foods since willingness to pay increased with increase in income. / Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology

My original contribution to knowledge is the emergence of an inductively derived conceptual framework that provides a generic account of the way in which people construct and communicate risk. Within this framework, a detailed contextual understanding of how this was applied to C.difficile is developed. Furthermore, in seeking to place responses to health risks in the wider social, cultural and political context, moving beyond a standard critique of media output, an understanding of both how and why the media report health-related risks helped identify ways in which the media can influence how people can construct and communicate about risks. The incidence and severity of C.difficile infection is increasing and it is one of the most common healthcare associated infections, posing a global threat to public health. With the occurrence of major outbreaks within the UK and elsewhere, fear, confusion and unsafe infection prevention and control practices continue to exist among the public and healthcare professionals. Consequently, C.difficile is of particular interest to the media, being the focus of much media reporting. How the public perceive and respond to a health-related risk is shaped by a range of socially and contextually structured evaluations and interpretations, based on a range of factors such as availability heuristics, direct and indirect experiences and social influences, particularly those emanating from the media. Expert risk perceptions and responses on the other hand, are sometimes supposed to be more veridical than those of the public because they are based on calculations of scientific probabilities. Risk perceptions and responses however are context dependent and therefore to be understood, need to be considered within the context that they are perceived and experienced. There is currently little risk perception empirical research to draw upon within the context of C.difficile. The aim of this study was to explore risk perceptions and responses of the public and healthcare professionals within the context of C.difficile and to examine the role of the media in health-related risk reporting. This qualitative study adopted three approaches to data collection: a media coverage analysis of a major C.difficile outbreak, focus groups with the public and healthcare professionals in two geographical areas (an outbreak versus a non-outbreak area), and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with media professionals. The media coverage analysis found that the media portrayed key individuals involved in the outbreak as victims, villains and heroes. These ‘characters’ evolved as the outbreak progressed and new information became available. Such representations were frequently used as a backdrop for the public and healthcare professionals in order to support or refute their perceptions about C.difficile. For the public and healthcare professionals, the consequence of C.difficile and why it occurred was much more salient than estimations of the probability or likelihood of it occurring. Conceptual factors that were found to be important in influencing perceptions included: feelings of vulnerability; attribution of responsibility; judgements about competence; and evaluations of risk communicators. Media professionals were seen as important risk communicators in the focus groups, however they saw themselves as predominantly story tellers and entertainers, rather than ‘educators’. They also believed themselves to be advocates for the public whereby they uncover information that officialdom would seek to keep hidden. What emerged from this study was a coherent, structured and generic account of how various stakeholders construct and communicate about risk. Within this conceptual structuring, a detailed contextual understanding of how this was applied by the public and healthcare professionals around C.difficile was gained. Findings indicate that uncertainty, fear and confusion about C.difficile exist that appear to be influenced by a range of contextual factors such as indirect and direct experiences, social interaction and the media. If risk management and communication strategies are to influence the desired and effective responses towards C.difficile and wider health-related risks, those responsible for managing and communicating risk must consider already established risk perceptions in addition to the factors that have influenced such risk perceptions.

In this study the dynamics of risk perceptions about BSE held by Canadian consumers and cow-calf operators are evaluated. Since the BSE outbreak in 2003, Canadian consumers and cow-calf operators may have had various different reactions to BSE. These reactions may be related to their different levels of risk perception about BSE, risk perceptions which may have evolved over time and may be affected by BSE media information. These reactions may also be the result of factors other than BSE. An analysis of behavioural models of consumers and cow-calf producers is required to reveal the impacts of both BSE risk perceptions and non-BSE related factors. In this study, the risk perceptions about BSE are specified applying a Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF) and a Prospective Reference Theory (PRT), and evaluated through market observed behaviour of Canadian consumers and cow-calf producers, an approach which is different than the traditional stated preference approach to eliciting risk perception measures. Parametric and non-parametric structural break tests associated with the BSE outbreak (May 2003) are employed to evaluate changes in consumers or cow-calf operators behaviour. The results show that SARF is supported by both panel data and time series data on Canadian consumers and cow-calf producers, suggesting that their risk perceptions about BSE are amplified by both the quantity and quality of BSE information. Risk perceptions about BSE have led to a decrease in beef demand and an increase in slaughter cow supply, which in turn, exacerbated losses in Canadian beef sector. Structural break tests related to the BSE outbreak in May 2003 confirm changes in both consumers and cow-calf producers behaviour. Consumers with different profiles had different levels of risk perceptions about BSE and different demand and substitution elasticities. Cow-calf producers from different regions also had different levels of risk perceptions about BSE and different supply elasticities, suggesting the need for more analysis of market segmentation. Simulation analyses over the North American beef sector further confirmed the impact of BSE risk perceptions of Canadian consumers and cow-calf producers in the North American beef and live cattle market. / Agricultural and Resource Economics

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<p>Abstract</p><p>Problem: African Americans face a disparate risk for renal disease development secondary to type 2 diabetes (T2D), and African-American women have shown to be at the highest risk. Despite this, there is minimal research on African American's awareness of renal disease and existing renal disease risk perceptions, and none focused specifically on African-American women with T2D. Although the literature has shown that a portion of this disparate risk is due to modifiable social and cultural factors, there is still a significant amount of unexplained risk. Since past research has shown that risk perceptions can influence preventative behaviors, it is important to gain an in-depth understanding of renal disease beliefs and existing risk perceptions among high-risk African-American women with T2D. Once risk perceptions are better understood in this population, interventions can be developed to correct inaccurate beliefs and risk perceptions and aim to decrease renal disease risk.</p><p>Methods: Three different methods of analyses were employed in this dissertation, including: 1) a systematic review of the literature, 2) an exploratory, descriptive, qualitative study, and 3) a quantitative secondary analysis, including descriptive statistics, a cluster analysis and mixed modeling. The Common Sense Model guided all three studies and these three methods of evaluation helped us to gain a more complete understanding of renal disease risk perceptions in African Americans, particularly African-American women with T2D, and provided guidance for future intervention research in this population. </p><p>Conclusions: The findings of this dissertation illustrated there is a significant gap in the literature on African American's renal disease awareness and risk perceptions, yet the available research was used to guide the in-depth interviews with African-American women with T2D. Overall, African Americans underestimate their renal disease risk and lack an understanding of the disease, even in the presence of risk factors. African-American women, in particular, related renal disease directly to the end-stages of the disease, perceived a greater risk for other complications of diabetes, and exhibited significant fear related to their perceived consequences of the disease. This fear frequently initiated maladaptive coping mechanisms, which influenced risk perceptions negatively and hindered preventative behaviors. This study also found that health care providers rarely discussed the disease and often exhibited provider control. Therefore, these findings suggest an urgent need for clinical practice suggestions and intervention research aimed at correcting inaccurate risk perceptions. The secondary analysis findings showed that a culturally relevant intervention with coping skills training resulted in significant improvements in renal disease risk factors among high-risk African-American women with T2D; however, we cannot be sure which facets of the intervention or control care for equal attention may have influenced these outcomes, and renal disease beliefs and risk perceptions were not assessed in the parent study. Therefore, the knowledge gained from this dissertation can be used to guide intervention research that evaluates change over time in renal disease risk representations, risk perceptions, coping procedures and outcomes among participants at high-risk for renal disease.</p> / Dissertation