Articles
UNDERSTANDING PERCEPTIONS OF RISK: THE OUTRAGE FACTOR AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION
Article number
939_18
Pages
153 – 158
Language
English
Abstract
Fear of pesticide residues has been identified as a contributing factor to inadequate vegetable intake in Australasia.
This appears irrational: in a country like New Zealand, when 120,000 food samples were tested for a possible 240 chemical residues in 2009, 200 chemicals were undetectable and just four samples were found that moderately exceeded the maximum residue limit for one of the residues.
In contrast, it has been calculated that 1,559 deaths could be attributed to inadequate fruit and vegetable intake in New Zealand in 1997. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and colorectal cancer are amongst the major killers in most Western countries and inadequate fruit and vegetable intake is a contributing factor to all of these conditions.
Peter Sandman in 1987 put his finger on the missing factor that helps us understand this extraordinary irrationality: the risk that people perceive equals the hazard itself, plus an outrage factor.
The more familiar something is, and the more control I have over it (e.g., choosing to smoke), the lower the outrage factor; the less familiar, or the less control I have over it, the higher the outrage factor.
Arguably, this behaviour has contributed to human evolutionary success.
There is an enormous science community devoted to understanding and manipulating the quality of fruit and vegetables after harvest in order to deliver fresh produce that is demonstrably high in health-promoting nutrients, bioactive compounds, minerals and fibre.
Millions of dollars have been spent on 5 plus a day public health campaigns attempting to promote fruit and vegetable consumption with limited success.
What may be lacking in the promotion efforts is a co-ordinated attempt to manage the outrage factor in the public mind.
This appears irrational: in a country like New Zealand, when 120,000 food samples were tested for a possible 240 chemical residues in 2009, 200 chemicals were undetectable and just four samples were found that moderately exceeded the maximum residue limit for one of the residues.
In contrast, it has been calculated that 1,559 deaths could be attributed to inadequate fruit and vegetable intake in New Zealand in 1997. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and colorectal cancer are amongst the major killers in most Western countries and inadequate fruit and vegetable intake is a contributing factor to all of these conditions.
Peter Sandman in 1987 put his finger on the missing factor that helps us understand this extraordinary irrationality: the risk that people perceive equals the hazard itself, plus an outrage factor.
The more familiar something is, and the more control I have over it (e.g., choosing to smoke), the lower the outrage factor; the less familiar, or the less control I have over it, the higher the outrage factor.
Arguably, this behaviour has contributed to human evolutionary success.
There is an enormous science community devoted to understanding and manipulating the quality of fruit and vegetables after harvest in order to deliver fresh produce that is demonstrably high in health-promoting nutrients, bioactive compounds, minerals and fibre.
Millions of dollars have been spent on 5 plus a day public health campaigns attempting to promote fruit and vegetable consumption with limited success.
What may be lacking in the promotion efforts is a co-ordinated attempt to manage the outrage factor in the public mind.
Authors
J.A. Heyes
Keywords
Theory of Planned Behaviour, health
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