The warning label is identified as a simple front-of-package labeling format that assists consumers in making healthier food choices at the point of purchase. The color and/or shape of the design elements of the packaging labels can influence the understanding and purchase intention outcomes. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of consumers regarding differently designed warning labels (WLs) to identify a possibly suitable warning label design in the Chinese context. Using a qualitative approach, we collected data through 12 focus group discussions consisting of 116 participants residing in 6 provinces. Participants were selected by purposive sampling. Data were coded following inductive thematic analysis and summarized into three themes: (1) perceived preference for the appearance of the WLs, (2) perceived benefits of the WLs, and (3) suggestions for promoting the WLs. Participants preferred the black shield label showing a high content of the nutrients of concern  in both Chinese and English. Consumers generally agreed that the WLs were easy to understand and offered a simple method for choosing healthier foods. They anticipated that WLs could encourage the food industry to reformulate their products. Our study results will support the design and facilitate the use of WLs in China. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of death and disability globally, as well as in China ,2. A subConsumption of unhealthy food is a modifiable risk factor. Food labeling could reduce the information asymmetry between consumers and food producers to help consumers better understand the nutritional information of food and thus make health-conscious food choices ,9. As a Improved consumer outcomes may be attributed to the design elements of WLs . The desWe adopted a qualitative study design, using focus group discussions to collect data. The study required an in-depth understanding of consumers’ views of WLs. Focus group discussions could provide rich data, eliciting social norms, feelings, attitudes, and perceptions. The materials and methods of this study were reported following the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) .We collected data from 12 focus groups consisting of 116 participants residing in 6 provinces/municipalities  through the purposive sampling method; one urban site and one rural site were selected for each province/municipality. Interviewees were recruited according to these criteria: men and women aged 18–45 years old, with no less than two people in each age group , a male to female ratio of 1:1, including at least one parent, while including consumers of high-sugar and low-sugar drinks and packaged food in each group. Participants were excluded if they were health professionals, tobacco industry employees, sugary drinks and food industry workers, advertising industry workers, and those working for market research companies. Finally, 8–12 people were included in each focus group. All eligible participants agreed to participate in the survey, without rejection. This study was approved by the BRANY SBER IRB Ethics Committee , and all participants provided signed informed consent before the study was conducted.The label design was decided by the expert committee after two rounds of thorough discussion. The expert committee comprised 26 members from various professional areas, including public health, nutrition, demographics, and food policy. By comparing the shape, color, language and other elements of the label design, the committee preferred a “hexagonal” and “shield” shape, “white signal phrase on yellow or black background” color, “mixed Chinese and English” text, and agreed that “the Chinese and English fonts should be the same size for key nutrients, while the other English fonts should be smaller”. Finally, four groups of WLs were selected, which were composed of a hexagon or shield shape, with a black or yellow background .The interview guide  was deveA pilot face-to-face focus group discussion with eight participants was conducted in Yuzhou City, Henan Province, on 25 February 2022 to test the feasibility of the interview guidelines and the procedures for group discussion. The wording and sequencing of the questions were adjusted after the pilot group discussion. Information from the pilot group was not included in the formal data analysis. During the formal interview, small groups of eight to twelve participants were organized. In all focus groups, the national project team provided online assistance throughout the interviews, introducing the project background and purpose at the beginning. The stimulus material (4 warning labels), uniformly provided by the project team, was projected on screens to increase the understanding of the participants of the WLs. All interviews were conducted in Mandarin Chinese. COVID-19 protocols were strictly observed, and participants were kept a safe distance from each other and wore masks all the times.Each focus group discussion was recorded with an audio-video recorder. The final transcript was created by checking the field notes and audio recordings. The preliminary analysis was iterative, concurrent with data collection, to refine the probing and assess the saturation. Saturation was achieved in the 12th focus group. Data were analyzed following inductive thematic analysis by two researchers ; codes and themes emerged from participants’ responses . The resThere were 12 focus group completed, with a total of 116 participants. These individuals were made up equally of males and females, with half in urban and half in rural areas. The interviewees aged 25–34 accounted for the largest proportion ; college or university graduates (n = 77) accounted for 66.4% of the total. There were also 62 (53.4%) parents or primary caregivers of children under the age of 16. Each group interview lasted about 2–2.5 h. From the data, we extracted three themes, with several subthemes . ThroughInterviewees generally believed that the text of the WLs was eye-catching and easy to understand. The black WL, designed with white phrases on a black background, was more comparable and attractive on a colorful food package. Black also reminded them of danger, such as those exhibited by chemicals and pesticides, and was effective in warning of unhealthy foods. The shield shape gave them a feeling of protection. It was viewed as more authoritative and acceptable by the consumers, compared to the shape of hexagon. From the perceptions of appearance, more consumers preferred the black shield design for the WL.Color. Participants felt that black drew more attention and effectively contrasted with colorful product packages: “The color of black is more attractive to me, because the color of food package is generally gorgeous and colorful. If the yellow label is used, it will not attract people’s attention at first sight, but black is easier to see” . Some consumers added that the black label stands out because of its high contrast with the white text in the label: “The color of the text in the label contrasts with its black back-ground, which may make it easier to notice” . Others raised the interesting point that black looks serious, dull, and scary, implying prohibition, making people less inclined to buy: “Because black first gives people a more serious and dull feeling. If you see this color, you may give priority to not choose to buy products with this label” . Black also reminded them of hazardous chemicals and pesticides: “Because black reminds me of the toxic logo on pesticide packaging, I feel like I won’t buy it” . More participants thought black was the most effective for warning of unhealthy food: “The darker the color, the less healthy it is, which means black is the least healthy, so for me it’s definitely black” . In traditional Chinese culture, black often represented bad luck and taboo: “In fact, I think the combination of black and white, especially the large range of white text on black background, may be associated with disease and death in our traditional culture, but it is appropriate to use on warning labels” . Others thought black was not appropriate in China: “I don’t think black is suitable, Chinese people may not like black” . “Black and white is a bit unlucky for our culture, so I didn’t choose black” . For the above reasons, although some people thought black may contradict Chinese culture, the vast majority of participants thought that black was more suitable for the warning label.A few people preferred yellow. Some participants believed yellow was a bright color and more eye-catching: “Its color is fluorescent, the contrast on the packaging is relatively bright, so it is more eye-catching” . Some participants thought that yellow is soft and warm, more acceptable to children, more suitable for food: “From the perspective of food, the label is just designed to remind consumers which food is high in salt, high in sugar or high in fat when they make a choice, so, label should use warmer color. What’s more, yellow on snacks is more acceptable to children” . In addition, yellow reminded them of traffic lights: “In our daily life, yellow is like a yellow light at a traffic light. It tells us to wait, serves as a warning label” . Yellow could also remind them of the yellow code , a yellow rainstorm warning, and the yellow card warning in sports: “I think yellow is warning, because we use yellow cards a lot at sporting events” . Another participant added: “yellow reminded him of sub-health status and foods high in calories, like fried foods” . But others did not think yellow was appropriate for a food label: “Because in ancient China, yellow represents the color of emperors, which is not suitable for ordinary people” .Shape. The shape of the shield implied resistance and gave participants a sense of protection. Therefore, most consumers chose the shield shape: “In ancient times, shields were used for protection in battle” . Participants also stated that the shield represented authority and was more formal: “When you see the shape, you feel that it is authoritative, just like the authoritative test report, unlike the messy evaluation, which has a certain credibility” . Participants preferred shield shape because it was less common, visually larger, and more attractive than hexagons: “The Shield is more irregular and noticeable than the hexagon, visually larger” .Some participants preferred the hexagon to be used for warning label: “I personally prefer hexagon, because shield really has a kind of protective meaning, which may let you feel that food is safe and healthy, easy to cause misunderstanding” . Participants were drawn to the hexagon because of its sharp edges: “The curves are softer, the hexagon has edges and corners, just like sting me, so it stands out” . Besides, the hexagon shape reminded people of the structure of sugar and dangerous chemicals. “The hexagon reminds us to eat a balanced diet, as it is a well-balanced shape”, said one participant from Zhejiang . Another participant agreed with the hexagonal label: “The number six in China is better in feng shui, representing everything goes smoothly” .Text. Participants generally agreed that the text on the label was easy to understand and might affect their food purchases: “I think the warning label is very suitable in our country. I often see nutrition composition table when buying food. However, a lot of people probably don’t understand. If you have the warning label on it, with high in sugar, high in salt, high in fat, it will be very simple and clear. The meaning can be understood all of a sudden, which is very good” . In addition, the text on the label would warn that the food was unhealthy, and they may not buy it: “Text affects your decision because it says high in sugar, high in salt and high in fat. If you have high blood pressure, you see a label that says high in salt, you will immediately stop buying it” .The majority of participants had a positive view of WLs, believing that WLs were easy to understand. It could help people make healthier food choices, educate people to care about their health, and encourage the food industry to reformulate their products. A few individuals felt that the effect of WLs varied from person to person. It was viewed as especially useful for high-risk populations, while participants felt that the general population, especially younger children, will consume packaged food regardless of the WL.Influence on consumers’ food purchases and health awareness. The effects of WLs on food choices were bifurcated. The majority of people thought that WLs could help them choose healthier food by identifying the foods high in sugar, fat, or salt: “I think it makes sense that you can use these labels to quickly determine what type of food it is, and food labeled is definitely not good, you don’t have to look at the ingredient list” . A participant from an urban area in Henan province said, “I think the labels can help people avoid unhealthy food when they buy food, especially for people with diseases, the labels can help them more effectively select what they need and what they don’t need” . However, some people thought that the label was of little meaning, if they really wanted to eat this food, the label would not affect their food purchases: “I don’t think it makes much sense. It doesn’t use something rotten to make you feel sick like a smoking sign in foreign country. These WLs occupy a very small area on the package, and the color do not cause much disgust” . Another nearby participant added: “I don’t think the label means much. If people want to eat it, he will eat it. If he doesn’t want to eat it, he won’t” .Warning labels also increased consumer health awareness. WLs could encourage consumers to take care of their health: “I think it is necessary to put these labels on the front of food package. Because only after you know the content of sugar, salt and fat in food, can you pay more attention to your own health, especially now that there are more and more obese people, they are more concerned about the intake of these nutrients” . WLs could also remind consumers to improve their dietary habits: “This label can lower the cognitive threshold of consumers, and people can intuitively find that the things they usually eat are harmful, so as to guide them to think deeply, reflect on and change their eating habits. Therefore, I think it is suitable for promotion, and the earlier the better” .Positive effects on food industry. WLs could promote the food industry to reformulate their products to be healthier: “WLs is actually a boost for the food industry to produce high-quality, healthy, green food that is good for people” . WLs could also promote China’s food development and bring it in line with international standards: “I think this is necessary, although our country is a developing country, it is developing very fast, and it is a big country in food and agriculture. We must keep pace with other developed countries in food import and export. Many countries have implemented this label, we also need to make the development of food as soon as possible to catch up with the speed of national development, only then can our food catch up with the world, our people’s physical quality is gradually improved” .Positive effects on children’s education. Parents could use these WLs to educate their children about which foods to eat less of, further helping children to develop healthy eating habits: “Because many children need their parents to buy food for them, when parents see these labels, they can tell their children that these foods are not healthy and ask them to eat as less as possible” . A city resident in Shaanxi mentioned that “if food could be labeled with warning labels, people may pay attention, especially children, many of the lover of snacks are children. If children can develop a good habit of not eating unhealthy snacks when they are young, they may not be interested in them when they grow up” .Finally, our participants made some suggestions for the future application of WLs in China, including label design and additional uniform specifications. They also strongly recommend greater publicity for the WL.Suggestions regarding label design. It was recommended that the label should be triangular: “Personally, I think the triangle is more suitable. Hexagon is symmetrical, which gives people a sense of balanced nutrition, shield gives a sense of protection, I don’t think these shapes are suitable for a warning label. In my daily life, I come across a lot of warning signs with triangles” . A variety of colors were recommended: “In my personal opinion, I recommend using different colors for different nutrients, such as orange for high sugar, red for high fat, and black for high salt”. . Another participant from Zhejiang province said: “The colors should be colorful, label with a brighter color to highlight national culture”. As for the text description of the label, some participants gave corresponding suggestions: “Maybe adults know that high salt, sugar and fat are harmful, but teenagers don’t. So I think if we want to introduce warning labels, we should at least add a description of the health risks of high sugar, high fat and high salt to the label, just like the text description of smoking” . It was also recommended that: “The label should indicate the percentage of sugar, fat and salt in the food above the recommended value, such as 30% or 80%; Or further rank the levels of high sugar, fat and salt indicated by the depth of the color” . As for the design of warning labels, participants also suggested adding food icons: “I think the English text can be changed to the icon. For example, you can use a picture of sugar instead of high sugar and a picture of meat instead of high fat, if fat people see the meat icon, they will not want to eat these products” . Additional uniform specifications for the warning label. Many respondents mentioned that there should be uniform regulations on where labels should appear on food packaging: “Although they were on the front of the package, they were more visible one-third of the way up” . Another participant added that: “I feel like if you put the label in the upper right or lower right of the food package, I might not notice it, but if you put it in the upper left, it really stands out” . In addition to the location, the size of the WLs should also be uniform: “The size of the label must be regulated, according to the size of the package to specify the size of the label. It doesn’t have to be the same size, but it should be the right size in proportion to the package” . Respondents from rural Shaanxi Province also expressed the same opinion.Strengthen publicity on the health hazards of high sugar, salt, and fat. Some interviewees suggested that more publicity should be promoted: “I think we need to make great efforts to popularize health knowledge, because there are still some people who do not know the meaning of high sugar, salt and fat” . “Publicity is also very important. Some people may be indifferent to the warning labels, because they will not feel uncomfortable immediately even if they eat the food with WLs. For example, many people have high blood pressure but don’t feel any discomfort, so they don’t care it, even don’t pay for medicine” .This study is the first qualitative study to explore WLs suitable for China and the preferences of Chinese consumers. It was found that Chinese consumers tend to prefer a black shield warning label with words warning that the product is high in sugar, salt, or fat. The use of shapes  and coloBlack is associated with hazardous chemicals, toxic pesticides, and horror films, showing an increased risk perception in participants. This color seemed to make many consumers think about the negative health effects, also triggering their feelings of fear. Previous studies have reported similar results ,39. AccoIn our study, participants felt that the text of the label was critical, and it should clearly state that the food is unhealthy. A recent cross-sectional study conducted to investigate the preferences of Chinese parents for different FOP labels also showed that parents thought the nutrients most in need of labeling should be sugar, salt, and total fat . These tThis study found that Chinese consumers had a positive attitude toward WLs on prepackaged food. A warning label that is easy to see and understand will attract consumer attention , increasRegarding the perceived effect of the WLs, although some participants felt that they would continue to buy food even if it is labeled with a WL, others felt that a WL would help consumers identify unhealthy products when shopping, thus influencing their behavior. Those who felt that they would not be deterred by the WL fit the health belief model, which assumes that low risk perception does not cause behavior change. Familiarity with products also decreases the effectiveness of the warning labels ,53. One Participants in the current study agreed on the importance of making healthier food choices for children, such as helping children develop healthy eating habits at an early age, a positive step in the direction of behavior change . As cardThe strength of this study is that the data were collected in six provinces, including urban and rural areas, taking into account the views of consumers from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds. Moreover, this is the first qualitative study to explore warning labels suitable for the Chinese culture regarding consumer perspectives; participants in the study also offered many good suggestions, providing data support for the implementation of WLs in China. The limitation of this study is that focus group discussions can be easily influenced by one of the panelists, which is common in qualitative research. Besides, this study was experimental, and the actual effect can only be determined once the WLs are implemented in China. More studies are needed in the future to clarify the hindering and promoting factors of the implementation of WLs and the influence of WLs on actual purchasing behavior.In conclusion, our results from focus groups in China suggest that a policy placing warning labels on the front of unhealthy packaged foods could improve consumers’ understanding of health risks and help them identify unhealthy foods; it could also promote children’s diet education and the development of the food industry. Certain design elements, such as color (black), shape (shield), and high contrast with the white text could enhance a label’s ability to increase the perception of risk. Suggestions regarding the promotion of WLs were also made by the participants, such as standardizing the location and size of the label, indicating more detailed information about the nutrients concerned, and suggestions regarding the color, shape, icons, and text description of the label. Chinese policymakers might consider the black shield warning as part of a front-of-package labeling policy. More research on the impact of WL implementation is needed in the future.


Women in Pakistan suffer from a high rate of depression. The stress of low-income, illiteracy, exposure to violence and living in a patriarchal society are predisposing vulnerabilities for depression, particularly during and following pregnancy. The resilience of an individual plays a significant role in promoting prenatal mental health, but this has yet to be thoroughly researched. In this article, our objective is to identify the core characteristics of resilience among pregnant women, which will then help us in developing an intervention.The exploratory-descriptive study was conducted over 6 months in five different antenatal hospitals in Sindh, Pakistan. A total of 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with pregnant women, purposefully selected with heterogeneous characteristics to explore diverse perspectives, while symptoms of depression were quantified by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale before the interview. Verbatim transcriptions were coded openly and merged into categories and themes.A total of six themes emerged from in-depth thematic analysis: 1) purpose of life, 2) dealing with emotions, 3) believing in yourself, 4) optimistic approach, 5) strengthening support and relationship and 6) spirituality and humanity. Women agreed that these characteristics could help them improve their mental health.In conclusion, these themes were the core components of pregnant women’s resilience which ultimately could help to promote prenatal mental health. These pave a pathway towards developing culturally and contextually resilience interventions aimed at enhancing mental health of pregnant women which then may improve neonatal and family mental wellbeing. Depression during pregnancy is a global concern , 2 complIn LMICs, predictors of prenatal mental illness including depression consist of financial constraints, stress regarding the sex of the baby, conflicts with mother-in-law or husband, and poor family support . Other sDepression during pregnancy can have repercussions in later life for the mother and present as eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and personality disorders . FurtherPerinatal care to ensure safe pregnancy and childbirth planning has a positive impact on health-seeking behavior and it reduces the risk of illness during pregnancy . PrenataA study conducted in Europe with 151 pregnant women identified that those who were resilient scored higher on self-acceptance, had greater psychological wellbeing, and rated lower levels of pregnancy related stress and postpartum depression, as compared to those who scored low in resilience . SimilarGiven that resilience has a very broad definition, examining it without a frame of reference is challenging, so the current study will rely on the ecological framework proposed by Bronfenbrenner. Which was strategically organized into four tiers of external impacts  , 41, EacIn vulnerable groups of pregnant woman, with appropriate screening, the opportunity exists to better understand what enhances resilience with the possibility to improve potential, strength, courage and meaning to life, as these individuals develop new abilities to respond to stress , 45. TheThis is part of a larger project, which will be conducted in a two-phased approach. This paper focuses on phase one and describes the qualitative inquiry to explore the resilience core attributes. These findings will be used to guide the development of resilience building intervention, which will be carried out during the second phase of the larger project using a randomized-controlled trial to evaluate the developed intervention among pregnant women.This qualitative inquiry was conducted using an exploratory- descriptive study design which highlighted the experiences and resilience attributes in a sample of pregnant women in Sindh, Pakistan. Over a period of 6 months from May to October 2019, face-to-face interviews were conducted in the local language Urdu, in a safe private room. The interviews lasted 45–60 minutes and were tape recorded after receiving written informed consent. Observational notes were also made during the interview.Participants were recruited from the antenatal clinics of the four secondary hospitals of the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Karachi, Pakistan. AKUH is a private not for profit institution, serving patients with mixed ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, from different regions across the country. We also included one other hospital, Koohi Goht (KG) Hospital of Karachi, which provides a midwifery-led service to the most vulnerable women in the community from low socio-economic strata. The rationale for selecting these five settings was purposeful, to ensure a rich database from different socio-economic and ethnic groups, reflecting the cultural diversity that exists across Karachi, Pakistan.Permission was obtained from the heads/representatives of all five sites, staff were informed about the research and written consent was obtained from participants. The purposive sampling technique was used to intentionally select participants for interviews to attain the perspectives of a diverse group of participants from wide-ranging of settings and experiences. Purposive sampling based on criteria allows us to accomplish the study’s objectives while lowering selection bias .Seventeen participants were recruited from the five sites, using the information provided by their head or representatives based on our eligibility criteria. Our eligibility criteria enabled us to obtain a sample that accurately represented the target population. The 13 participants from the four AKU secondary hospitals were initially contacted by telephone for consent. Six of the 17 individuals were also involved in an ongoing study . The remParticipants who were 18 years of age and above, married, at a gestation of 12 weeks and above, and able to speak and understand Urdu were recruited.Participants were asked to: 1) complete a demographic questionnaire; 2) complete the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS); and 3) engage in a face-to-face semi structured in-depth interview. Depression symptoms were measured by the EPDS Scale, and resilience attributes were explored through interviews. The EPDS has 10 items (each scoring 0–3) with total scores ranging from 0 to 30 and is widely used and shown to be reliable and valid for use in pregnancy , and in The guide was developed by the research team based on a comprehensive review of the literature, and an existing conceptual framework of resilience underpinning Wagnild and Young’s Resilience Scale , 45. ThiUsing thematic analysis, data were manually analyzed from multiple sources including listening to recorded audios, reviewing transcriptions, field notes, and reflections of the researcher to increase validity of data and decrease researcher bias. The research team members that were closely engaged in data analysis and management were SSB, DA and AV.Use of the bracketing technique in which researchers consciously put aside their biases related to the study before commencing interviews so that the data are collected without judgment .Reflective notes were written after each interview and shared and discussed with the research team. This helped in identifying recurrent themes during analysis .The interviews were conducted in Urdu and audio recorded, transcribed in Urdu and then translated into English. Back translation into Urdu followed and comparisons were made with the original Urdu transcription to detect any discrepancies in translation. This added validity to the audio recording and transcription process.Open coding was done manually from transcriptions by the research team members. From the participants’ quotes/verbatim, codes were allocated, then related codes were merged or grouped into separate categories, and then associated categories were finally aggregated into one theme.The following steps were adopted:Hence, one researcher (SSB) initially coded the transcripts. However, throughout data collection and analysis, codes, categories, and themes were created and agreed upon in discussions with the qualitative researchers (AV and DA). They independently coded the transcripts of random interviews and then carefully and constructively examined the initial coding to compare and analyze the results. Interviews proceeded until there were no more new themes emerging from the data or when data saturation was reached. The entire research team shared and reviewed all findings before deciding on the final coding and thematic framework.The mean age of participants was 27.9 years (standard deviation (SD) 6.912, range 16 to 39 years). Mean gestational age was 30.8 weeks (SD6.84), rangefrom 16 to 40 weeks). All participants were married (duration ranged from less than 1 to 23 years), and only two were working (one doing office work and the other working from home doing stitching). Despite the diversity of their first languages, which reflected their ethnicity and region of residence, all participants were proficient in Urdu.  purpose of life; 2) dealing with emotions; 3) believing in self; 4) optimistic approach; 5) strengthening support and relationship; and 6) spirituality and humanity . “To look after husband, to look after mother-in-law, to look after parents. I am doing all this and will do with Allah’s will” (GDN03- D). “The purpose of my life is that I want to see my son join the army” (KH03- ND).Most of the participants shared that they felt little ambition and passion towards anything, and their purpose of life was associated with their family, husband, and children. For example, three different women stated: “I want to get a diploma, and this is for my children’s future.” (KA02-ND) and another stated her life was oriented and goal directed: “I want to spend life in a proper manner, I want life to be organized.” (KG04- ND). One participant was clear that “I want to please Allah, to offer prayers, do good deeds, so everyone can stay happy because of me” (GDN01- ND).Some participants shared clear goals for themselves, but their ultimate goal centered around others only, for example one of the participants said, Most of the participants had difficulty in expressing and managing their emotions. Their selection of words and the body language showed resistance, such that they were not able to make eye contact. A minority were able to express themselves openly and were clear and fluent in their communication. Stress was an issue for several participants who shared their anger and stress management issues and wanted to learn to manage their stress and aggression.“I want to deal well with stress…I want to manage the stress my parents have in their life.” (HYD02- ND) and “We must solve the problems that come our way. There is no point in getting tense.” (KA02- ND).Few of the participants showed keen interest to learn how to manage their stress as they shared their experiences and were open to learning coping mechanisms. They were aware of their own emotions and wanted to adopt a more positive approach. Two mothers captured the essence of this theme: “My mind is filled with the thoughts that he will leave me some day; I am afraid of losing him” (GDN03- D). “There are some people in my in-laws who don’t behave well with me, I wondered, why did this happen to me only” (KG03- D).Dealing with thoughts and emotions was an issue which emerged. The ability to comprehend feelings, to express them in words and the struggle to manage them was expressed. Anxiety was evident in their body language - one of the participants cried during the interview and many of them needed constant support from the researcher. They struggled to find words to express their worry. Two women strongly expressed the issue: “I have a lot of bad things in me, my anger, sometimes I think due to my anger I will get into trouble too. I used to break things; I get abusive too” (GDN03- D). Other participants stated: “My family tells me that I am perfect in all aspects, but I get angry very easily…. I take care of everyone and that I get angry, and all my efforts get useless. My husband says, ‘that you do a lot for everyone but your anger ruins everything.” (KA02- ND).Participants’ responses suggested they were struggling to manage their anger. Anger issues were evident and distressing for most of the participants and voiced clearly: This shattered me so much that I wanted to die, and I even went and contemplated suicide at a bridge near Clifton.” (GDN03- D). The other participant also shared that, “I harm myself and do nothing to anybody else… all anger is inside me I never take it out” (KH01- D).Some participants shared their struggle to manage their emotions, which ended in self harm. Some expressed suicidal ideas: One participant while talking about the dissatisfaction with her marital life shared that ““I take everything in a positive way, I know that this thing is negative even then I try to take it as positive” (HYD02- ND). Another demonstrated courage and stated: “I understand that life goes on, there is no point in crying, because only I will get hurt by this. I will pressurize myself and will never come out of it. So, I must move on” (KH03- ND).Some of the participants’ responses showed courage and readiness to address their daily life problems and tried to deal with their stressors in a positive way. The participants pointed out that “when I make others happy, I feel satisfied” (HYD 02- ND); “Making others laugh so that they feel good…. and they get peace of mind” (KH03- ND); “I tell them funny things, so they laugh and in return I feel good” (KA02-ND).Exploring ways that the participants managed with their anger and stress, revealed that some of the participants tended to use humor to deal with stressful situations. Humor helped to cope with stressful circumstances and maintain relationships with others and this was reflected in three participants’ comments: When participants were asked to whom they give credit for their achievements, the majority mentioned their parents, husbands, and siblings - none of them appreciated themselves for their good deeds. It was noted that the cultural practice of not praising oneself in front of others was stopping these women from sharing their qualities and strengths. They openly talked about their flaws and drawbacks but when asked to praise themselves, were reluctant, resulting in them feeling unappreciated for their efforts.“I will give it to my parents” (KH01-D), the participant also stated that she gives credit for her achievements to, “To my husband… To my parents… They made me so capable that other people responded to me like this (positively). If they don’t make me this much capable, then others will not admire me” (KG01- D).Most of the participants shared that they never give credit to themselves for their achievements as one of the participants stated that, …little to myself, some to husband and mother” (GDN-P0- ND). Few of them also gave credit to the divine power and did not want to praise themselves so they stated, “I give credit to Allah. Whatever happens good or bad it’s because of him.” (KH03- ND).On the contrary, few of the participants had confidence in themselves and their achievements and gave credit to either themselves or to God. They boldly stated that“…because of my own mistakes …. maybe something is missing in myself…. or fault in myself…. that’s why these things happen (KA01-ND) and the other one also stated, “…my own self, whatever happens that is wrong, it was due to me” (GDN01-ND).All participants appeared to blame themselves for every mishap or failure that occurred whether this was related to her or not. As mentioned by two of the participants, “Must be confident, don’t stay at the back, feel proud of yourself...don’t be bound.... Confidence is very necessary, otherwise the girl has no value” (KA03- ND). The other one shared that, “I realize that a person can do everything if s/he wants.” (HYD02- ND).When participants were asked what is necessary in life to be strong and independent, few of them shared that confidence and valuing oneself is essential: “When it was my 17 month [of pregnancy] my husband beat me…. then after that...threw me out from home. I had my may baby at 32 weeks”. (KH01- D) and the other participant reflected that, “…it’s been ages since I have seen my face in mirror…. the face is not the same as it used to be…. I am not like before…. my complexion got dull” (KG03- D).Responses from some of the participants reflected that they lacked self-confidence and courage to stand for themselves and face domestic violence further and that they seemed to struggle to voice their basic rights which has impacted on the self-image of some of the participants. As two of them quoted that, “Make decisions…but with everybody’s suggestion….by asking everyone, is this right? or that is right like this” (KA01-ND), “you don’t know which decision will hurt them, so you have to share before making any decision” (KA03- ND).Participants felt more empowered to make decisions before marriage. Most of the participants expressed that after marriage, they consulted their husband and in-laws in every decision. According to cultural values, when one becomes part of a family, everyone’s opinion must be considered. Upon asking this participant pointed out, “I want to take my own decisions myself, but I cannot” (KG03-D).Some of the participants showed helplessness and dependency, one participant stated her desire to make decisions as, In this study participants were asked what keeps them going with life and helps them in dealing with the adversities that life brings. Most shared that hope and positivity motivates them to survive and thrive for the best. Moreover, they also expressed their optimistic approach in life due to feeling satisfied and content. When asked to list the ways they deal with life events, few participants identified positive coping strategies whereas, others lacked this ability and were not able to answer despite constant probing by the researcher. A positive attitude and evidence of resilience attributes were evident in the participants who scored low on the EPDS.“I like positivity in myself which I learnt from my father, I am broad minded. (KA03- ND)”, and “…don’t take things seriously. Whatever people say unnecessarily just ignore it…as I have done for some time” (KA01-ND).Upon asking what makes them feel content and fearless in their lives, some of the participants shared that having positive mindset and ignoring the negativity helps them in dealing with stressful situations. These participants demonstrated lively personalities during the interview and stated, While in my work life a few periods went well, few periods were full of depression…I became frustrated and obsessed” (KG-01 D) and “I went into depression because of my husband’s behavior” .On the contrary, most of the participants showed sadness, hopelessness, and helplessness when asked about life’s ups and downs. Two participants responded, ““when difficult times come to any person…that person showed courage…so she can easily pass that time” (KH01-D). The other pointed out that, “One should have courage and strength, there is no way out if you don’t have courage, people should keep trying, there must be a way out, find a solution with courage and don’t consider yourself weak.” (GDN01-ND).Most of the participants shared that being courageous and bold helped them in managing negative emotions and they said that at times one should take a stand for herself. One of the participants shared her feelings, “one should keep trying because if you run away from the situation then that situation might convert into a big trouble which then will not be easy to deal with.” (KA03-ND). The other participant stated that, “I understand that life goes on, there is no point in crying, because only I will get hurt by this. I will pressurize myself and will never come out of it…so I must move on” (KH03-ND).Some of the participants were very hopeful regarding their future and that is what helped them in staying positive. Hope gave them light and direction to keep on moving with what life brings for them. As mentioned by one of the participants, “My husband never allowed me to do any job, from the beginning I did alma [religious scholar] course, did my studies, did a beautician course, I wanted for everything, I wished that I wanted to this and that but I couldn’t” (KH01- D) and “A woman stays in the house, what else can she do….a woman stays at home and does home chores, it’s her duty” (KG03- D).On the other hand, few of the participants were restricted in living according to their own will, this made them feel helpless and stranded. The lack of support from family made them believe that now this is their life and they had to live this way only. As shared by few participants, “I try to stay happy in every situation, but situation doesn’t allow me” (KG03-D) while another stated “it’s a natural behavior, if you are happy today then, some other day you will feel sad too it’s a common fact” (KA03- ND).Most of the participants shared the importance of being happy in all situations and expressed that no matter what happens one must always seek happiness in life. Participants reflected upon the importance of staying happy but few of them were not able to experience contentment or happiness. One reported, “We must go on with life, and this is god’s will to give life and death…. Life goes on. We must move forward in life (KH03-ND), and that “Time heals everything” (HYD01- ND).Most of the participants were optimistic as they shared how ups and downs are part of life, and we must be able to deal with all the situations. They also expressed how with time everything gets better, so one must not lose hope and always try to stay positive, and that courage and being strong keeps you motivated. Two responded positively by saying, Women enrolled in this study struggled with their relationships and that created stress expressed as concerns of extra-marital affairs, abuse and lack of trust in relationships that have impacted their mental health. However, some reported sharing a good bond with their in-laws and husband.“My in-laws used to live with me, and everyone respects me. I am the youngest, but everyone respects me” (KA02-ND) and “this husband-and-wife relation is the strongest bond, if they are together, they can solve every problem…. If a husband falls anywhere in life, then the wife is here to hold him, same is for the husband, if the wife falls then he should hold her; they are together, a strong bond” (KA03-ND).Some of the participants had good relationships with their in-laws and husbands, but many others had a tumultuous and difficult relationships. Moreover, a few of the participants shared how husbands play an important role in their life and maintaining a strong relationship is important for their peace of mind. Two participants shared, “My husband will believe others, even a child and will scold me, he never supports me” (GDN02- D). The other shared her sorrow as, “My husband insulted me in front of my family members, in front of the whole society” (KH01-D).Most of the participants expressed a lack of support from in-laws and husband. They were struggling to have a positive relationship especially with their husbands. One of the participants stated that, “I cannot maintain equality; my husband says this too that I cannot maintain equality among all”. (KG04-ND). Another participant pointed out that, “Even my husband tells me that you are not looking after your house.” (GDN03- D). Considering this, researchers noticed that all participants placed an emphasis on maintaining positive relationships with all family members and taking care of domestic duties.When asked to share their thoughts on how they manage their relationships effectively and the difficulties in doing so, participants shared their view on the importance of balancing relationships. Few participants stated that, “My husband never allowed me to visit my parents’ house…even our homes were in front of each other….”(KH01-D), “that is the reason my husband fights, that you only get ready when you go out”.(GDN03-D), “My husband once said he wants to get married again as I am not able to give him child, my heart breaks into pieces” (GDN02-D).It became clear that unrealistic expectations are the cause of distress among relations and that not meeting the expectations creates misunderstandings. Most of the participants shared similar responses, Participants were able to deal with stressors more effectively due to their faith and trust in the divine power. They shared that faith in God was a major source of hope and gives them strength to deal with the stressful situations.“Whenever hard times come, we go with that and Allah helps us too, it is stressful, sometimes people get hopeless, but then again, Allah, he will give you strength, he will give you a solution.” (GDN01- ND). Few participants shared their believes and stated that “I believe that whatever happens, happens for good. We must stay strong, it’s upon Allah to give life and death. I trust Allah more than anyone. I always thank Allah, whenever I am in trouble, or I am in peace.” (KH03- ND). One more participant shared that “I take every problem as an exam as it is from Allah, you have to be faithful in this regard,” (HYD 02-ND).When asked about spirituality, participants reflected that, “I trusted people very easily (GDN03- D).Some of the participants expressed that they trust people easily and have difficulty in analyzing the situation and staying positive. One of the participants stated her vulnerability as, “When I am alone, I just pray, Allah is merciful, he will not leave me, he will support me, Thanks to Allah many people did bad to me, but I never complained to Allah.” (GDN02-D), “I always thank Allah, whenever I am in trouble, or I am in peace I thank him only”. (KH03-ND), “I just thank Allah and remain patient for what I don’t have”. (HYD 02-ND).Being thankful can sometimes be a great blessing and gives internal power to women. Majority of the participants shared that showing gratitude has helped them in life. Few of the participants expressed that “According to me those people are good people who assist others, who help them in their problems (GDN01- ND), “When people get happy, they give prayers (GDN03-D) and “I keep others happy so that’s why it may be… No, I mean that never think bad about anyone, always think nice about everyone”. (KA02-ND) Another participant highlighted that “Love is the most important thing, if someone comes to you, you should give love so that the person forgets about her past while sitting with you” (GDN03-D).Most of the participants expressed that by helping others, they felt more connected, contented, and competent about themselves. Further, they shared that helping others is a good deed and one must think about others as well, few participants commented that, Utilizing in-depth interviews this study explored the experiences and resilience attributes which enhance the prenatal mental health in a sample of 17 Pakistani women who represented women with and without depressive symptoms. The six emergent themes: purpose of life; dealing with emotions; believing in self; optimistic approach; strengthening support and relationship; and spirituality and humanity were viewed as factors enhancing resilience during stressful situations. Although, all the participants belonged to diverse background in terms of education, working status, and other factors some emerged as being less depressive compared to others. Interestingly, whether the women showed depressive symptoms or not, they voiced similar resilience attributes which they believe are important for improving their mental health.Three recent studies conducted with pregnant women in high income countries also reported similar findings. Firstly, a study in Alberta, Canada used thematic analysis to explore the resilience practices and strategies of 54 pregnant women that supported them during traumatic experiences. These emerged as: “Relationships”; “Emotional Regulation”; and “Optimism” . The resThe current study also revealed that paternal involvement and support from the paternal family kept women hopeful. Moreover, women who expressed their goals with clarity were found to be self-sufficient and self-reliant which is one of the attributes of resilience. A study conducted in southern Louisiana, USA, also shared similar findings. Despite teenage pregnancy and coming from low-income backgrounds 15 pregnant adolescents delivered healthy babies because of possessing positive factors such as self-efficacy, motivation to achieve career goals, and having a strong support system, which the authors referred to as a resiliency framework . In PakiMoreover, Payne  in a stuSupport systems and relationships were found to be associated with resilience. Participants who had less depressive symptoms had the support of family or friends and they referred to this support as their biggest strength. A meta-analysis of 120 studies, conducted by Pilkington et al.  suggesteAnother cross-sectional study conducted on 122 primiparous women also supported the notion that the main elements of resilience for reducing stress is self-confidence, optimism, positive acceptance of change, and spiritual influences . ConsistOn the other hand, Kishore  reportedIn view of the adverse impact of depression during pregnancy on the lives of women and their offspring it behooves the health care professions to develop resilience building intervention  which maThe six emergent themes are well supported by closely related themes in the literature, including leading a purposeful life , 77, emoAn exploration of resilience attributes through the ecological system framework utilized in this study help researchers to conceptualize the proximal and distal factors that can predict successful development of an intervention. The literature also support the adaptation of a a multisystemic social-ecological theory to offers a perspective on intervention that focuses on variables that can be changed . Hence, Current study is the first to explore the experiences and resilience attributes of pregnant women in Pakistan. Although coming from different language and subcultural backgrounds, the sample were heterogeneous in terms of age, gestational age, education, and working status. To ensure rigor, the study used a variety of techniques. The data collection was well-organized, and interviews were done by a researcher with extensive experience in the relevant field, maintaining credibility. Additionally, the data organization and condensation processes of the data reduction and analysis steps ensured quality data where emergent themes covered the core data. To keep the confirmability, a detailed data analysis method was used, including individual researcher coding and recoding of whole datasets, followed by a group discussion of similarities and differences. Transferability was ensured by choosing participants from a variety of backgrounds to reflect the diversity of the Pakistani setting. Using purposive sampling to form a preferred sample can also assure transferability . MoreoveThe limitations include firstly that the EPDS depression scores that reflect the last 15 days, might not reflect participants’ overall experiences of depression, compared to the semi-structured interview which provided a broader view of their life experiences. Secondly the study cannot be generalized to the population of Pakistan as the study only recruited a limited number of women coming from lower-socio economic backgrounds, and in keeping with research of this nature, the sampling was neither random nor representative, yet enabled rich data gathered from the small sample with the lived experience.The six themes and attributes which emerged from the experiences of these participants provide a pathway for understanding and helping develop resilience and provide a foundation for future intervention studies. To promote mental well-being during pregnancy, in the context of a women experiencing pregnancy in a lower socioeconomic stratum in Pakistan, valid resilience building interventions that are culturally and contextually appropriate will be designed based on these findings and the language of the participants. This will not only improve the mental status of pregnant women but also their children and families.


Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic minority segment of the population in the USA, and by the year 2060, it has been estimated that this population will reach 111.22 million [A 2020 Pew Research Center report found that only 23% of US adults who self-identify as Latino have heard of the term Latinx and only 3% accept using the term . In 2021The term Latinx is not meant to replace Latina/o, but rather peacefully reflect inclusivity. The Spanish language is gender based and words in Spanish, by design, designate persons as either male or female, excluding persons who identify somewhere in between gender spectrums. It was first thought to originate within queer communities in 2004. However, by 2015, it prolifically appeared within social media and research outlets. Thus, “Latinx” has been operationalized as a non-binary term to circumvent the default use of masculine terminology that might not accurately represent one’s gender identity , 11.voces perdidas and voces de poder [In the USA, less than 5% of the Latino population use the non-binary term, Latinx . To thisde poder . Such a de poder . As prevde poder . It is nde poder , 14. TorWithin scholarly literature, Latinx was first traced back to a Puerto Rican publication in psychology aimed to challenge the current gender binary that exists within the Spanish language . Early oThe widespread adoption of the term has since met resistance, with some considering the term as a form of linguistic imperialism or “Anglicizing” of the Spanish language. Opponents have further criticized “Latinx” as an example of a forced use of a term within a language and culture that had little input in its conceptualization, as well as its complicated use for its pronunciation within the spoken dialect. It has been seen as another way to further ignore the nuance and cultural differences of a diverse ethnic population in order to neatly classify these populations underneath one term .Latinx—rather than Latino, Latina, Latina/o, Latin@, Latin, or Latin American—allows people to ask questions about the various intersections members of our community hold” [voces perdidas and voces de poder, he also stated that after conducting a study about the term Latinx and its use, “a majority of the participants perceived higher education as a privileged space where they only used the term Latinx to be inclusive [voces de poder overshadowing the voces perdidas” [The term Latinx allows others to ask questions concerning use of the term. According to Milian  and Torrty hold” . This hanclusive . Once therdidas” . Overallerdidas” , 18, 19.In the end, the history, intentions, and operationality of the term Latinx are varied and complex, and envisioning a unified solution that comprehensively addresses the critiques of the term “Latinx “appears equally complicated. More certain, however, is the value in the examination of novel solutions that replace gendered language within the healthcare setting, and the positive implications that gender-neutral communication can have on mitigating clinical bias, education reform, and improvement of patient interactions. In the interim, consideration may be given to allow space for authors to use terminology  that they feel best represents their identity and community, with a foundation of understanding that the reasons for preferred terminology may be as diverse as the cultures that the term attempts to embody. As society evolves, so should the ways in language is used and also the terms the people use to best describe themselves.


In “Should We Strive to Make Science Bias‑Free? A Philosophical Assessment of the Reproducibility Crisis”, I argue that the problem of bias in science, a key factor in the current reproducibility crisis, is worsened if we follow Heather Douglas and Kevin C. Elliott’s advice and introduce non-epistemic values into the evidential assessment of scientific hypotheses. In their response to my paper, Douglas and Elliott complain that I misrepresent their views and fall victim to various confusions. In this rebuttal I argue, by means of an examination of their published views, that my initial interpretation of their work is accurate and that, in their hands, science is generally prone to deviations from truth. Upon reading Heather Douglas and Kevin C. Elliott’s response to my paper, I was pleased to see that we largely agree on the definition of ‘bias’. On their view, bias is “a systematic deviation from truth (or from accuracy)”. By comparison, I say: “a process of  reasoning is biased if it is influenced by factors … that make the conclusion of this reasoning less likely to be true” Hudson , 399. I Douglas and Elliott claim that that this inference misrepresents their views. They comment, “we reject Hudson’s inference that if we accept roles for non-epistemic values in scientific reasoning, we must embrace bias in science”, and assert that one of my “most important confusions is [my] conflation of bias and value-ladenness”. To be clear: someone’s reasoning can be biased, can be value-laden, but lead to a true conclusion. This is because bias involves a tendency to deviate from truth or make the conclusion of reasoning less likely to be true, not the stronger effect of leading consistently to falsity. So, take the cases Douglas and Elliott cite of value-ladenness without bias, cases of anti-sexism that have improved the accuracy of claims made in specific historical cases of primatology, cardiology, social science and archeology. Although, in these cases, anti-sexism possesses a clear epistemic benefit in terms of revealing problematic research assumptions apparently based on sexist attitudes, it would be a stretch to say that anti-sexism always has such clear epistemic benefits. This is simply because anti-sexism, as a moral standard, is largely irrelevant to epistemic matters. In terms of developing research methodologies that generate empirically verified, theoretical hypotheses, science students are better off learning mathematics, statistics and various experimental or laboratory skills rather than studying the moral underpinning of anti-sexism. In other words, if science students neglect their study of the core methods of science in deference to studying anti-sexism, they are much less likely discover true theories about the natural world. In other words, their research would be biased according to the standards set by Elliott, Douglas, Steel and myself.A more accurate description of what is going on in the above cases of sexist science is to say that anti-sexism in those cases is, to borrow a phrase from Steel , an ‘extnot think values serve as evidence; instead, they establish the amount of evidence needed in order to accept a scientific conclusion” . Again, Douglas does not see “values as ‘evidential’ or that they could fill an evidential gap” and she “has carefully avoided describing values as playing this role in scientific inference”. To say that values could serve as evidence is to ascribe to values a direct role in science: in such a role, values act as “stand-alone reasons to motivate [scientific] choices”, providing “warrant or reason”, in themselves, for such choices . Here, “the adequacy of evidential support involves (or should involve) social and ethical values”  values in determining whether to accept the result, perhaps by lowering one’s standards of evidence.However, Douglas and Elliott find my suggestion that it is problematic to liberally modify evidential standards based on valuational considerations to be a “strange critique of their views”. This is because they do not see any feasible alternative to allowing such flexibility in standards, such as insisting on high standards (which could never be met) or standards that are universally correct (which could never be found). Nevertheless, in alignment with the views of John , they seIt is not surprising, then, that Douglas and Elliott ultimately abandon the suggestion to “maintain fixed standards of evidence” in addressing the problem of bias, in deference to the strategy of registered reporting. And, in general, they view the value-free ideal as utterly unhelpful in addressing the problem of bias in science where this bias is “traceable to values in science”. Here, I completely agree with them. Once values “‘infect’ the science that makes policy” Douglas , 135, th


This paper aims to examine the key determinants and efficiency of China’s agricultural exports with its 114 importing countries by applying the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) on an augmented gravity model for the period of 2000–2019. The Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood (PPML) and the fixed effect models were also estimated simultaneously to confirm the robustness of our findings. The results reveal that China’s economic size (GDP) and its importing countries, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), common border, and the Chinese language positively determine China’s agricultural export flows. The results, on the other hand, also reveal that China’s agricultural export is adversely influenced by the income (per capita GDP) of China and its trade partners, currency depreciation, distance, and landlocked. On an average account, China has untapped the potential of 51% in its agriculture export with the countries used in this study. We provide policy suggestions as part of our study. Liberalization of international trade and globalization of the global economy has substantially aided the expansion of agricultural trade during the last decade , 2. For Chinese agricultural exports to the global market have climbed from US$2.4 billion in 2001 to US$11.27 billion in 2019, nearly two decades after China joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO). China has established itself as a major player in the world agriculture market . RevealiDue to the unrealised trade potential, particularly trade in agriculture, China, like other emerging countries, will benefit from more foreign trade. Since the policy of opening up, this has piqued the interest of decision-makers. Export, according to certain research, is the most important avenue for economic integration and growth . Other sTherefore, the importance of examining the factors influencing China’s agricultural product exports become necessary, taking into account the country’s recent success in global trade as well as identifying countries where China should concentrate its efforts, countries where there is a possibility to expand agricultural export that can continue to lead the sector towards maintaining its substantial growth path. Identifying new opportunities can boost the sector’s contribution to the national economy.Furthermore, the present study also attempts to analyze China’s agricultural sector’s exports’ efficiency. Thus, the study’s objectives are to: First, look at the factors that influence China’s bilateral agricultural export flows and how China’s BRI affects export performance. Second, estimate the efficiency of China’s agricultural exports with its importing partners. In this case, the term efficiency describes a level at which an economy or entity can no longer export additional amounts of a good, whereas, inefficient in export means an economy exports are blow the maximum level, showing a gap between the observed and maximum level of exports. Afterwards accomplishing the present study’s objectives, this study offers a significant lucrative contribution in four ways. First, our study fills a research gap in China’s agricultural export trade literature by estimating the major determinants of agriculture exports. Second, this study applies the stochastic frontier gravity model to capture China’s agriculture trade efficiencies. Third, we contribute to the growth of export research that use the Stochastic Frontier Gravity Model (SFGM), which is uncommon in the literature. Fourth, we use a panel of 114 countries to forecast China’s main trading partners over a 20-year timeframe (2000–2019).The remainder of the paper is divided into sections: The second section of the paper presents an overview of China’s agricultural exports. We detail the methodological framework of the study in section 3. In section 4, we discuss the results of the study. Section 5 wraps up the research and makes policy suggestions.A substantial majority of the population, particularly those who reside in rural areas, engages in agriculture. The agricultural sector is an important contributor to China’s economy as it contributes a considerable share of the country’s GDP and provides employment. Over the 20 years (2000–2019), the percentage share of agricultural export in total GDP was decreasing. However, on average, In 1998, China exported agricultural products valued at only USD 2.606 billion to the BR countries. By 2017, the exports had increased to USD 22.683 billion, nearly 10 times the export volume of 20 years earlier . The BRIThis sub-section gives a detailed review of some existing literature on the determinants of exports using the gravity model. A literature review provides a complete overview of the related studies to strengthen the basis of our knowledge and to put our study in the right direction . MoreoveRecently, Ya and Pei  investigNguyen  observedBarma  investigUsing a panel dataset spanning 1994 to 2008, Assem, Romstad  investigFurthermore, many researchers have used the gravity model to investigate a commodity-specific model to determine the factors affecting a single commodity’s exports. For instance, Abdullahi, Shahriar  studied Nasrullah, Chang  providedShahriar, Lu  exploredKea, Li  studied Using the gravity model’s static and dynamic forms, Nsabimana and Tirkaso  observedIn China’s context, several studies were carried out to examine the factors affecting China’s exports through trade analysis see , 39, 40), 4039, 4ij” is the value of trade between the two country i and j engaged in the transaction, GDPi and GDPj are the economic sizes of i and j countries. Disij stands for the distance separates i and j countries and α is a constant. The linear version of the ijt” signifies the value of agricultural commodities exports trade from China to its importing countries. j” = 1 … 114 is for trading partners and t = 2000 … 2019 annual series. “ln” stands for a natural log.For determining the international trade flows and describe the movement of production components, the gravity model is the most commonly used. Tinbergen was the first person to proposed using the gravity equation in international trade studies , while AThe gravity model, which revealed the relevance of spatial dynamics in international trade theory, sparked renewed interest among academics in developing a theoretical basis for the gravity model. Anderson , for exapcGDPitand pcGDPjt” are the per capita GDP of China and per GDP of its importing partners, “Exijt” is the bilateral exchange rate between China and China’s importing countries, “1 + Impjt” indicates the tariff rate on China’s agricultural commodities exports. “BRIjt”,“borderij”,“CNij”, and “Landlockedj” are dummies and stand for Belt and Road Initiative, common border, Chinese language, and landlocked respectively.Apart from theoretical reasons, the model has advanced enormously to offer more accurate and reliable estimations. For example, Rauch  stated tTo scheme the determinants of trade for trading countries, the gravity model is often estimated. The estimate approach, however, is not without flaws. Imports and exports are frequently regarded as the sample’s average rather than the trading nations’ best potential values. It’s possible that estimating the gravity model will be difficult if the sample contains highly varied values . SimilarThe primary drawback of the SFA is that the prospects are set using sample averages rather than the greatest potential boundaries. As a result, the stochastic frontier technique performs better in gravity model estimation. To explain trading partner variance, Kalirajan  added a The SFA has been used extensively to evaluate firm efficiency, developed separately by Aigner, Lovell  and MeeuThe benefits of using the SFGM in international trade analysis, according to Belotti, Daidone , are as ijt” is divided into two parts (εijt” and “Vijt). The “εijt” is the double-sided error-term and it is showing a statistical noise due to the estimation of errors with an assumption of. N(0∼σ2e) The “Vijt” is a one-sided error-term and is truncated at 0. It is independent of “εijt” and regressors as well as a positive random variable, that measures inefficiency of exports and the value may range from 0–1. The 0 indicates that the actual exports are equal to the potential exports. Therefore, there is the absence of statistical error and there is little effect of omitting variables. If it takes a value other than 0 . This indicates that the effects of omitting variables is significant and this could impede exports. Therefore, Vijt implies that export deviates from the optimal export level and this may take place due to the MTR that is usually unobservable or tough to compute and it can lead to export inefficiency performance. The parameters’ values can be empirically calculated using the maximum likelihood technique and Aigner, Lovell [Eqs  and 4)  4) are t, Lovell  regardedd Coelli  for calcAGREXijt. Thus, the equation can be written as:Besides calculating the ratio of the inefficiency component to the random error component stimates , 61. Thestimates . The FE stimates , 64. ThiThe following is a FE equation that takes into account unobserved cross-sectional heterogeneity:N = 114 × T = 20). Both in terms of time and importing partners, the highest feasible frequency of data was employed. Except for dummy variables, all variables are transformed into natural log form to evaluate the relationship. The panel data set consists of bilateral agricultural products export flows from China to its 114 importing partners over 20 years, spanning from 2000–2019. During the period, the exported value of Chinese agricultural products to these 114 destinations accounted for almost 92% of China’s total agricultural products exported value. These countries were chosen based on the value of China’s agricultural exports on a yearly basis. As a result, the total number of observations in this study’s dataset is 2280 , the positive and significant estimates for quations , 66–68. ij has a negative highly significant impact on bilateral trade. This shows that a 1% increase in distance will reduce agricultural export volume by 0.81%. This suggests that to increase its agricultural exports, China should look for a nearby market. This result is in line with the classical findings of the gravity model. Similar findings were also recorded by previous studies of agricultural product exports such as Atif, Haiyun [Prior international trade literature considered distance as a trade resistance factor and is anticipated to decrease China’s agricultural trade , 69. The, Haiyun ; Barma [, Haiyun .ijt is used as a proxy to the exchange rate policy and it is positively significant at the 5% level in the SFGM, but insignificance in the other models. The coefficient of Exijt shows that a 1% increment of (Yuan Chinese currency) may drop the agricultural commodities exports by 0.03%. Therefore, China needs to maintain or depreciate the exchange rate because a rise in “Yuan” is expected to drop the export revenue because of very low elasticity. China’s exchange rate policy is such a highly argumentative and extensively discussed issue that it often generates heated debate around the globe [The Exhe globe –72. The he globe –75. Evidhe globe , 76. Thujt) are an explicit measure of trade cost and higher tariff rates imposed by importing country tends to daunt export [The average tariff rates  variable is strongly significant at 1% with coefficients of 1.62 and 0.41, revealing that sharing a common language with an importing country promotes agricultural export flows by nearly 1.02%. Our study affirms other studies that recommended using the Chinese language as a tool for networks and communications, as language stimulates trade flows [The Chinese language  and its importing countries stimulate agricultural export flows. Second, we find that the BRI, common border and the Chinese language positively determine China’s agricultural export. Third, we find that China’s income (per capita) and that of China’s importing nations and exchange rates discourage agricultural exports from China. Fourth, we also observe the negative impact of geographical distance, importer’s tariff, and landlocked of importing countries. Fifth, we find that China’s agricultural exports to its 114 selected partners are largely inefficient.We have drawn up some recommendations based on our findings. First, the research insights would improve the agricultural export flows around the globe. China introduced a number of economic and fiscal reforms. It also liberalized the trade to facilitate its global and regional integration. Therefore, China is likely to promote its agricultural exports to the global market. Second, the depreciation of China’s currency would improve agricultural export flows and its low magnitude indicates that the policymakers should give special attention to the exchange rate policy. Third, China’s agricultural exports have a satisfying effect on the BRI, therefore, China should continue to build a strong relationship with the current members and develop a policy that will attract non-members. Countries engage in agricultural trade for a variety of reasons. History shows that nations engage in agri-food trade because it yields several benefits. In the economic realm, a food exporting country may have a comparative advantage and is able to sell its food at an attractive price, thereby earning foreign currency by meeting demand in another country. Or perhaps a country wants to reduce its food surplus and support domestic prices. As a large and populous country, China enjoys comparative advantages in agricultural exports. Exports may be used to bind other nations to the exporter; in this respect agricultural exports are useful for maintaining alliances and empires. China is likely to develop its trade network under its BRI framework. To this end, the issue of the Coronavirus pandemic might hinder the growth of the Chinese agricultural exports.Fourth, the negative effect of the geographical distance and positive effect of the Chinese language suggests that China should give more attention to the nearby countries’ markets and countries with a common language to boost agricultural commodities exports. Fifth, China’s agricultural export would benefit more from increasing its exports to countries with observed low efficiency.Last but not the least, this study can be used as a yardstick for future researchers as it is the first piece of research that estimates the efficiency and potential of China’s agricultural exports. Further research may add novelty to the existing body of knowledge focusing on the BRI and non-BRI countries for cross-country comparisons. Future researchers may consider to include both import and export models in a single study. For comparative analysis of major agricultural exporting countries, further research efforts are needed to chain the gravity models’ findings, shown competitiveness and comparative advantage measurements of agricultural commodities in the global markets.S1 Dataset(ZIP)Click here for additional data file.