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Experiences of time and risk during the COVID-19 pandemic were volatile; exacerbated by lockdowns resulting in working from home, social distancing and home schooling. This article explores embodied temporalities of risk before and during the pandemic in relation to alcohol consumption and breast cancer for a small, non-probability sample of Australian women pre-midlife (aged 25–44). Layered inferential analyses of our data, collected at four timepoints pre- and during- the COVID-19 pandemic, enabled an illumination of the horizons of risk in women's lives (broadly construed) and the ways these were recalibrated during the pandemic to manage its gendered stressors. Findings from this longitudinal study suggest that future risks of breast cancer were often discounted or faded from view, as new risks with more immediate consequences emerged: including viral transmission and surviving the (gendered) emotional/relational labours of lockdown. The immediacy of alcohol's effects, both positive and negative, stayed in view however for women and served as a source of reflection around 'health' and 'wellbeing', with psychosocial wellbeing elevated over physical health. Examining the multiple time-framings of risk which co-existed on the horizons for women in pre-midlife helped us to elucidate challenges to decreasing future breast cancer burden at population levels via alcohol reduction alone. These insights advance scholarship on how gendered temporalities of risk are reflexively embodied in daily life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study sought to identify how diabetes organisations conceptualize the problem of diabetes‐related stigma and how this shapes the selection of stigma‐reduction interventions. Methods: A qualitative deliberative democratic methodology was used to access an informed dialogue about what should be done by diabetes organisations to address diabetes‐related stigma, drawing from the perspectives of board members, healthcare services staff, and communications and marketing staff from a single state‐wide diabetes organisation in Australia (n = 25). Results: Participants navigated the stigma concept along two axes: one that drew attention to either disease attributes or personal moral attributes as the object of stigmatisation, and one that positioned stigma as an individual or structural problem. This shaped the selection of stigma‐reduction interventions, which included interventions to: (i) reduce the prevalence of stigmatized attributes, (ii) correct misunderstandings about diabetes, (iii) modify representations of persons with diabetes, (iii) enhance coping amongst persons with diabetes and (iv) make healthcare more person‐centred and democratic. Conclusion: This study identified several grievances with 'diabetes‐related stigma', which are grievances that can be conceptualized and addressed at both individual and structural levels, and involve correcting misinformation about diabetes or challenging and communicating alternative representations of persons living with diabetes. Patient or Public Contribution: The organisation's management and board were consulted throughout all stages of research development, analysis and reporting. The information and vignettes presented to participants drew from illness narratives obtained from earlier research involving adults with type 2 diabetes. Research participants included adults with various diabetes types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) has the second highest cancer mortality rate in Australia. The Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) aims to increase early detection of CRC by offering free Faecal Occult Blood Testing (FOBT), although uptake is low for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups. Aim of paper: To present data on trust and mistrust in the NBCSP by population groups with low uptake and thus to highlight areas in need of policy change. Methods: A qualitative study was undertaken in South Australia, involving interviews with 94 people from four CALD groups: Greek, Iranian, Anglo‐Australian, and Indigenous peoples. Results: Our study highlights the complexities of institutional trust, which involves considerations of trust at interpersonal, local and national levels. In addition, trust and mistrust was found in more abstract systems such as the medical knowledge of doctors to diagnose or treat cancer or the scientific procedures in laboratories to test the FOBTs. The object of institutional (mis)trust differed between cultural groups – Anglo‐Australian and Iranian groups indicated a high level of trust in the government, whereas Indigenous participants were much less trusting. Conclusion: The level and nature of trust in the screening process varied between the CALD groups. Addressing program misconceptions, clarifying the FOBT capabilities and involving medical services in collecting and transporting the samples may increase trust in the NBCSP. However, broader and more enduring mistrust in services and institutions may need to be dealt with in order to increase trust and participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence rate of tobacco smoking remains high for Australian Indigenous people despite declining rates in other Australian populations. Given many Indigenous Australians continue to experience a range of social and economic structural problems, stress could be a significant contributing factor to preventing smoking abstinence. The reasons why some Indigenous people have remained resilient to stressful adverse conditions, and not rely on smoking to cope as a consequence, may provide important insights and lessons for health promotion policy and practice. In-depth interviews were employed to collect oral histories from 31 Indigenous adults who live in metropolitan Adelaide. Participants were recruited according to smoking status (non-smokers were compared with current smokers to gain a greater depth of understanding of how some participants have abstained from smoking). Perceived levels of stress were associated with encouraging smoking behaviour. Many participants reported having different stresses compared with non-Indigenous Australians, with some participants reporting having additional stressors such as constantly experiencing racism. Resilience often occurred when participants reported drawing upon internal psychological assets such as being motivated to quit and where external social support was available. These findings are discussed in relation to a recently developed psycho-social interactive model of resilience, and how this resilience model can be improved regarding the historical and cultural context of Indigenous Australians' experience of smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) offers population-based screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) across Australia. The aims of this paper were to highlight the inequities in CRC screening in South Australia (SA) and the system-related barriers and enablers to CRC screening from the perspective of participants identified as having inequitable participation. First, de-identified data for the SA population of the NBCSP were statistically analysed and then mapped. Second, 117 in-depth interviews were conducted with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups, Indigenous and Anglo-Saxon Australians. Participation rates in the NBCSP were geographically and statistically significantly different (P<0.0001) on the basis of gender (higher for women), age (higher for older people) and socioeconomic status (higher for more affluent people). The main system-related barriers were the lack of awareness of CRC or CRC screening within these groups, the problems with language due to most of the information being in English and the lack of recommendation by a doctor. This study revealed that inequity exists in the NBCSP participation in SA, and we identified both barriers and facilitators to CRC screening that require action at the level of both policy and practice. There is a large role in primary health care of both recommending CRC screening and facilitating equitable participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The COVID-19 pandemic has reignited a commitment from the health policy and health services research communities to rebuilding trust in healthcare and created a renewed appetite for measures of trust for system monitoring and evaluation. The aim of the present paper was to develop a multidimensional measure of trust in healthcare that: (1) Is responsive to the conceptual and methodological limitations of existing measures; (2) Can be used to identify systemic explanations for lower levels of trust in equity-deserving populations; (3) Can be used to design and evaluate interventions aiming to (re)build trust. Methods: We conducted a 2021 review of existing measures of trust in healthcare, 72 qualitative interviews (Aug-Dec 2021; oversampling for equity-deserving populations), an expert review consensus process (Oct 2021), and factor analyses and validation testing based on two waves of survey data (Nov 2021, n = 694; Jan-Feb 2022, n = 740 respectively). Findings: We present the Trust in Multidimensional Healthcare Systems Scale (TIMHSS); a 38-item correlated three-factor measure of trust in doctors, policies, and the system. Measurement of invariance tests suggest that the TIMHSS can also be reliably administered to diverse populations. Conclusions: This global measure of trust in healthcare can be used to measure trust over time at a population level, or used within specific subpopulations, to inform interventions to (re)build trust. It can also be used within a clinical setting to provide a stronger evidence base for associations between trust and therapeutic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to identify how dietitians and other healthcare providers work to build trust in food systems in the course of providing dietary education. Methods: Qualitative semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 15 purposefully sampled dietitians (n = 5), general practitioners (n = 5), and complementary and alternative medicine practitioners (n = 5) within metropolitan South Australia. Interview data were then interpreted using an inductive thematic analysis approach, involving the construction of themes representing trust‐enhancing roles around which beliefs about professional roles, the 'patient', and food and health were clustered. Results: Healthcare providers communicate beliefs regarding (dis)trust in food systems through: (i) responding to patient queries and concerns following a food incident or scare; (ii) helping patients to identify (un)trustworthy elements of food supply systems; and (iii) encouraging consumption of locally produced and minimally processed food. Importantly, the expression of these roles differed according to participant beliefs about food and health (medico‐scientific versus alternative medicine) and their adoption of professional projects that sought to promote medico‐scientific ways of thinking about health and diet or manage the failures of Western medicine. Conclusion: The development and consolidation of trust‐enhancing roles amongst healthcare providers likely requires disciplinary reflection on professional values and the processes by which practitioners apply these values to understanding food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vaccine hesitancy exists on a continuum ranging between complete adherence and complete refusal due to doubts or concerns within a heterogeneous group of individuals. Despite widespread acknowledgement of the contextual factors influencing attitudes and beliefs shaping COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, qualitative research with equity-deserving groups, accounting for unique lived experiences, remains a gap in the literature. We aim to identify and begin to understand and document the unique contextual factors shaping hesitancy by equity-deserving groups as it relates to relationships with government and health authorities. Methods: Participants were recruited and interviewed between Aug-Dec 2021. Semi-structured interviews using a convergent interviewing technique were conducted with individuals from the general population, as well as individuals who identify as First Nations, Métis, or Inuit, members of the LGBT2SQ + community, low-income Canadians, Black Canadians, and newcomers. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed by a team of researchers. Memos were written following interviews and used to complement the thematic analysis of the interview data. Themes are presented in the results section. Results: The rationale for hesitancy among equity-deserving groups is consistent with literature documenting hesitancy in the general population. Contextual factors surrounding equity-deserving groups' attitudes and beliefs, however, are unique and relate to a history of oppression, discrimination, and genocide. We identified factors unique to subgroups; for example, religious or fatalistic beliefs among participant who identify as FNMI, fear associated with lack of testing and speed of vaccines' production among participants who identify as FNMI, Black, and LGBT2SQ + , distrust of the healthcare system for LGBT2SQ + and Black Canadians, and distrust of the government and opposition to vaccine mandates for participating who identify as LGBT2SQ + , low-income, FNMI, or Black Canadian. Newcomers stood out as very trusting of the government and accepting of COVID-19 vaccination. Conclusions: While our data on vaccine hesitancy largely mirror concerns reported in the vast body of literature citing rationale for COVID-19 hesitancy in high-income countries, the contextual factors identified in our work point to the need for wider systemic change. Our results may be used to support efforts, beyond tailored promotion campaigns, to support the confident acceptance of vaccines for COVID-19 and the acceptance of novel vaccines as future infectious diseases emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Co‐produced research holds enormous value within the health sciences. Yet, there can be a heavy focus on what research participants think, do and know; while the researcher's responsibility to explore and re/work their own knowledge or praxis tends to escape from view. This is reflected in the limited use of co‐production to explore broad structural distributions of health and risk(s). We argue this missed opportunity has the potential to unfold as what Berlant calls a 'cruel optimism', where something desirable becomes an obstacle to flourishing and/or produces harm. We explore challenges to involving lay populations meaningfully in health research amidst a neoliberal cultural landscape that tends to responsibilise people with problems they cannot solve. Methods and Findings: Drawing together principles from hermeneutic and feminist philosophy, we develop a novel methodology for co‐producing research about determinants of health and health risk (using a case study of alcohol consumption as an example) that centres on what researchers do, know and think during research: Women's Thought Collectives. Discussion: Keeping the constructed nature of social systems—because they shape ideas of value, expertise and knowledge—in view during co‐produced research illuminates the potential for cruel optimisms within it. Such reflexive awareness carves out starting points for researchers to engage with how social hierarchies might (tacitly) operate during the co‐production of knowledge. Our work has broad utility for diverse population groups and provides important considerations around the roles and responsibilities for reflexive co‐production of knowledge at all levels of health systems. Patient or Public Contribution: The development of these ideas was sparked by working with lay participants during the Women's Thought Collectives for Kristen Foley's doctoral research 2021–2023, but undertaken without their direct involvement—in accordance with the responsibilities of researchers in the reflexive co‐production of knowledge. Forthcoming publications will address the outcomes and processes of this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although recent research has highlighted the importance of understanding the structural social processes through which stigma is produced and maintained, educational approaches to stigma-reduction have not yet engaged with this concept. Recognising that critical pedagogies have been used in other contexts to help learners better understand and challenge structural social processes of marginalisation, we conducted a review of educational interventions that were informed by critical pedagogies and delivered within settings of health and social care. A systematic search was performed on academic and grey literature databases between January 1970 and 17 May 2017 to identify all literature reporting on the learning outcomes of educational interventions informed by frameworks of critical consciousness development. Articles were selected following a two-stage screening process and an assessment of methodological quality. Of the 9,674 articles identified from the systematic search, 33 were found to satisfy the inclusion criteria and were of sufficient quality to be considered within this review. Two major findings emerged from the analysis of interventional studies. Firstly, it was found that learners consistently articulated a sociostructural understanding of oppressive social relations and their position within it, based upon an understanding of their own group identity. Secondly, and despite the sociostructural content of reflection, individual actions tended to focus on the modification of interpersonal interactions. Although educational interventions informed by a critical pedagogy appear to support a structural analysis of social marginalisation or disadvantage, there is limited evidence to suggest how these structural processes might be challenged following this analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol is a modifiable breast cancer risk, increasing risk in a dose‐dependent manner. Mid‐life women (aged 45–64 years) consume alcohol at higher rates than younger women and this, combined with age, make them a high‐risk group for breast cancer. This critical public health problem has a seemingly obvious solution (reduce drinking); however, women do not necessarily know alcohol causes breast cancer, and if they do, reducing consumption is not always possible, or desirable. To innovate public health responses, we employ an interpretative sociological framework 'candidacy' to understand women's perspectives on breast cancer risk relative to alcohol consumption and their social class. Drawing on 50 interviews with Australian mid‐life women, our findings reveal the socio‐structural determinants of 'candidacy', that mean modifying alcohol consumption for breast cancer prevention is impacted by social class. Utilising Bourdieu's relational capitals, our interpretations show how social class shapes women's ascriptions and enactments of breast cancer candidacy. We offer an important theoretical extension to 'candidacy' by demonstrating more or less fluidity in women's assessment of breast cancer risk according to their agency to adopt breast cancer prevention messages. Understanding the social class possibilities and limitations in women's perceptions of breast cancer risk provides a new opportunity to reduce inequities in breast cancer incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newcomers to Canada have been disproportionally affected by COVID-19, with higher rates of infection and severity of illness. Determinants of higher rates may relate to social and structural inequities that impact newcomers' capacity to follow countermeasures. Our aim was to describe and document factors shaping newcomers' acceptance of COVID-19 countermeasures. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with individuals living in Canada for <5 years. Participants were asked to discuss their pandemic experiences, and perceptions and acceptance of measures. Five themes were identified: (i) belief in the necessity and efficacy of countermeasures; (ii) negative impact of measures on health/wellbeing; (iii) existing barriers to newcomer settlement exacerbated by pandemic measures; (iv) countermeasure adherence related to immigration status and (v) past experiences shaping countermeasure acceptance. Government should continue to provide messaging regarding the importance of measures for individual and population heath and continue to demonstrate a commitment to the interests of citizens. Importantly, newcomer trust in government should not be taken for granted, as this trust is critical for the acceptance of government interventions now and moving forward. It will be important to ensure that newcomers are given support to overcome challenges to settlement that were intensified during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated inequities in health for structurally marginalised Canadians. Their location on society's hierarchies constrained their ability to access healthcare and follow recommended health behaviours. The aim of this article is to identify, from the perspective of marginalised populations, factors influencing the acceptance or rejection of COVID-19 countermeasures by structurally marginalised Canadians. Interviews were conducted with Canadians 18 + who identified as Black (n = 8), First Nations, Métis, or Inuit (n = 7) and low-income (<40,000 annual household income) (n = 8) between August and December 2021. Measures were said to impact well-being and interfere with revenue generating activities. Longstanding unfavourable living and environmental conditions as they relate to structural marginalisation was said to fuel anger toward the government and lead to a greater reluctance to accept countermeasures. Participants described concerns about government decisions being made without considering their unique contexts, or knowledge of the experiences of the population for whom these decisions were being made. Effective proactive action from government is important to foster trust with marginalised populations to support acceptance of health information and address growing inequities. Action that demonstrates government competence and commitment to the interests of marginalised populations is critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol consumption by Australian women during midlife has been increasing. Health promotion efforts to reduce alcohol consumption in order to reduce alcohol-related disease risk compete with the social contexts and value of alcohol in women's lives. This paper draws on 50 qualitative interviews with midlife women (45–64 years of age) from different social classes living in South Australia in order to gain an understanding of how and why women might justify their relationships with alcohol. Social class shaped and characterized the different types of relationships with alcohol available to women, structuring their logic for consuming alcohol and their ability to consider reducing (or 'breaking up with') alcohol. We identified more agentic relationships with alcohol in the narratives of affluent women. We identified a tendency for less control over alcohol-related decisions in the narratives of women with less privileged life chances, suggesting greater challenges in changing drinking patterns. If classed differences are not attended to in health promotion efforts, this might mitigate the effectiveness of alcohol risk messaging to women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizen science connects academic researchers with the public through combined efforts in scientific inquiry. The importance of involving impacted populations in health research is well established. However, how to achieve meaningful participation and the methodological impact of citizen science needs further examination. We examined the feasibility of using citizen science to understand the impact of alcohol advertising on Australian women through a breast cancer prevention project. Two hundred and eighty-two ('participants') citizen scientists completed demographic and behavioural questions via an online survey. The research participants moved into the role of citizen scientists by completing the data collection tasks of capturing and classifying images of alcohol advertising they saw online. Interrater reliability tests found high levels of agreement between citizen scientists and academic researchers with the classification of alcohol advertising brand (Kappa = 0.964, p  < 0.001) and image type (Kappa = 0.936, p  < 0.000). The citizen scientists were women aged 18 and over, with 62% between 35 and 55 years old. The majority were from major cities (78%), had attained a bachelor's degree or higher-level education (62%) and were recruited via email or Facebook (86%). The use of citizen science provided methodological gains through the creation of a unique dataset with higher levels of validity than the existing literature, which employed traditional investigator-driven research methodologies. Citizen science enriched the dataset and provided a powerful methodological vehicle to understand an environmental determinant of health. The study illuminates how public participation benefitted the research process, the challenges and the potential for citizen science to improve public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing the evidence base for health promotion can be challenging because interventions often have to target competing determinants of health, including social, structural, environmental and political determinants; all of which are difficult to measure and thus evaluate. Drawing on a case study of food insecurity, which refers to inadequate access to food due to financial constraints, we illustrate the challenges faced by community-based organizations in collecting data to form an evidence base for the development and evaluation of collective programmes aimed at addressing food insecurity. Interviews were conducted with members of a multi-stakeholder coalition (n  = 22 interviewees; n  = 10 organizations) who collectively work to address food insecurity in their community through a range of community-based programmes and services. Member organizations also provided a list of measures currently used to inform programme and service development and evaluation. Data were collected in a city in Southern Ontario, Canada between May and September 2015. Participants identified four barriers to collecting data: Organizational needs and philosophies; concerns surrounding clientele wellbeing and dignity; issues of feasibility; and restrictive requirements imposed by funding bodies. Participants also discussed their previous successes in collecting meaningful data for identifying impact. Our results point to the challenge of generating data suitable for developing and evaluating programmes aimed at broader determinants of health, while maintaining the primary goal of meeting clients' needs. Documenting change at intermediate- and macro-levels would provide evidence for the collective effectiveness of current programmes and services offered. However, appropriate resources need to be invested to allow for scientific evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a best practice model that can be utilized by food system actors to assist with (re) building trust in the food system, before, during and after a food incident defined as 'any situation within the food supply chain where there is a risk or potential risk of illness or confirmed illness or injury associated with the consumption of a food or foods' (Commonwealth of Australia. National Food Incident Response Protocol. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, 2012). Interviews were undertaken with 105 actors working within the media, food industry and food regulatory settings across Australia, New Zealand (NZ) and the United Kingdom(UK). Interview data produced strategy statements, which indicated participant views on how to (re)build consumer trust in the food system. These included: (i) be transparent, (ii) have protocols and procedures in place, (iii) be credible, (iv) be proactive, (v) put consumers first, (vi) collaborate with stakeholders, (vii) be consistent, (viii) educate stakeholders and consumers, (ix) build your reputation and (x) keep your promises. A survey was designed to enable participants to indicate their agreement/disagreement with the ideas, rate their importance and provide further comment. The five strategies considered key to (re)building consumer trust were used to develop a model demonstrating best practice strategies for (re)building consumer trust in the food system before, during and after a food incident. In a world where the food system is increasingly complex, strategies for (re)building and fostering consumer trust are important. This study offers a model to do so which is derived from the views and experiences of actors working across the food industry, food regulation and the media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This paper explores how food regulators respond to food incidents and the barriers and enablers associated with doing so. Methods: Twenty‐six semi‐structured interviews lasting between 30 and 60 minutes were undertaken with Australian food regulators. Regulators worked across food policy development, implementation, enforcement and standards setting. These interviews ascertained food regulators' views on food safety and responses to real and hypothetical food incidents. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Food regulators reported that working together with other food regulators is an important part of effective food regulation and response to food incidents. Strategies for working together included clarifying expectations and developing formal documents such as a memorandum of understanding. However, challenges in working together were reported, including different risk thresholds, different political agendas and a lack of clarity on regulators' roles. Conclusions: A focus on partnerships and good communication between food regulators is likely to facilitate effective management of food incidents, and maximise the chances that food incidents do not lead to increased consumer morbidity and mortality as a result of a poor response to a food incident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Survey data from men who have sex with men (MSM) in Asian cities indicate drastic increases in HIV prevalence. It is unknown which factors are most important in driving these epidemics. The objective of this study was to identify patterns of condom use among MSM Internet users living in Viet Nam, as well as risk factors associated with inconsistent condom use and non-condom use. A national Internet-based survey of sexual behaviours was administered in 2011. Results showed that 44.9% of MSM reported not using a condom during their last anal sex encounter with a male partner. MSM were less likely to report condom use during anal sex with long-term partners than with casual partners. Twenty-three and a half per cent of MSM surveyed had ever taken an HIV test and received the results. Study findings highlight the urgent need for targeted strategies focused on increasing the rate of consistent condom use during anal sex with male partners among MSM in Viet Nam. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article we examine how and why the media construct food risks, from the perspective of ‘media actors’ (people involved in different types of media) using data from 30 interviews conducted in 2013 with media actors from Australia and the United Kingdom. In modern society, many risks are invisible and are brought to the attention of the public through representations in the mass media. This is particularly relevant for food safety, where the widening gap between producers and consumers in the developed world has increased the need for consumer trust in the food supply. We show the importance of newsworthiness in construction of media stories about food risk using Beck’s ideas on cosmopolitan risk to interpret the data. We note the ways in which the strategies that media actors use to construct stories about food risk amplify the risk posed potentially creating consumer anxiety about the safety of the food system. It is important for food regulators and public health professionals to be aware of this anxiety when presenting information about a food incident so that they can target their message accordingly to decrease anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim It has been demonstrated previously that consumer attitudes about food issues influence and shape consumer behaviour. The aim of this paper was to identify demographic and socioeconomic variables associated with a range of consumer opinions regarding the importance of four pre-selected food issues. Methods A national survey conducted in Australia (random sample n = 1109; response rate 41.2%) was undertaken in 2009 to investigate consumer opinions regarding food issues that may influence food choice and behaviour. Respondents were specifically asked whether the following were important food issues in society; additives, genetically modified ( GM) foods, unhealthy eating and food allergies. Results Most respondents considered unhealthy eating (96.1%) and food allergies (92.1%) to be important issues in society. Fewer participants, but still the majority, regarded additives (78.5%) and GM foods (67.7%) as important. The study identified that specific food issues were of particular concern to women, older respondents, respondents with an income between $A30 000 and $A60 000, and respondents living in a household of five or more people. Concerns about GM foods and additives were associated with the greatest number of demographic and socioeconomic variables studied. Conclusions This paper has confirmed that the food issues studied were important to the participants surveyed. Demographic and socioeconomic factors were predictive of consumer opinion on the importance of individual food issues and may be useful to inform strategies and campaigns to address consumer concerns and public worries about food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]