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- Title
The CRECHE study: testing the urban myth that chocolate Santa Clauses are re-wrapped Easter Bunnies.
- Authors
Stengel, Dirk; Hönning, Alexander; Just, Stephan; Mutze, Sven; Ekkernkamp, Axel; Ohmann, Tobias; Haase, Hajo; Kröpil, Patric; Gölz, Leonie
- Abstract
<bold>Objective: </bold>To test the urban myth that surplus chocolate Easter Bunnies are re-packaged as Santa Clauses for the following Christmas holiday season.<bold>Design: </bold>Prospective radiographic cohort study of seasonal chocolate figurines, supplemented by anonymous 5-item questionnaire survey of belief in the re-wrapping myth (Generic Risk Items Noted by Chocolate consumers in Health care settings; GRINCH).<bold>Setting: </bold>Two tertiary referral trauma centres in Germany (Berlin and Duisburg).<bold>Participants: </bold>Eighteen chocolate Easter Bunnies and 15 chocolate Santa Clauses from different manufacturers purchased during 2020; 502 randomly selected people passing through the entrance halls of the two hospitals during 16 September - 12 October 2020.<bold>Main Outcome Measures: </bold>Whole body computed tomography (WBCT) images of chocolate Easter Bunnies and Santa Clauses assessed by four independent, board-certified radiologists using a visual contour resemblance scale (CRS); survey participants' views on statements related to the re-wrapping myth.<bold>Results: </bold>Expert examiners clearly distinguished the WBCT images of chocolate Easter Bunnies and Santa Clauses; the mean difference in CRS was 84.2 points (95% CI, 78.5-90.0 points), with excellent inter-observer agreement (mean intra-class correlation coefficient, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.99-1.00). A total of 214 survey participants (43%) disagreed and 145 (29%) agreed with the proposition that seasonal chocolate figurines are re-packaged and re-sold the following season.<bold>Conclusion: </bold>Although about one-third of our survey respondents did not rule out the possibility of seasonal sweets being re-used, WBCT imaging found no similarity between chocolate foil-wrapped Easter and Christmas figurines, providing solid evidence against this urban myth. Chocolate Santa Clauses are unlikely to pose a significant threat to hospital food hygiene requirements.<bold>Trial Registration: </bold>Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN16847363 (prospective).
- Subjects
GERMANY; CHOCOLATE; EASTER; MYTH; URBAN studies; INTRACLASS correlation; SIMILARITY (Psychology)
- Publication
Medical Journal of Australia, 2021, Vol 215, Issue 11, p531
- ISSN
0025-729X
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.5694/mja2.51346