Reduction In Purchases Research Articles

Assessing the Economic Impacts of Food Hubs on Regional Economies: A Framework that Includes Opportunity Cost

The number of food hubs—businesses that aggregate and distribute local food—in the United States is growing, fueled in part by increasing public support. However, there have been few data-driven assessments of the economic impacts of these ventures. Using an input-output-based methodology and a unique data set from a successful food hub, we measure net and gross impacts of a policy supporting their development. We estimate a gross output multiplier of 1.75 and an employment multiplier of 2.14. Using customer surveys, we estimate that every $1 increase in final demand for food hub products generates a $0.11 reduction in purchases in other sectors.

Beverage purchases from stores in Mexico under the excise tax on sugar sweetened beverages: observational study

Study question What has been the effect on purchases of beverages from stores in Mexico one year after implementation of the excise tax on sugar sweetened beverages?Methods In this observational...

European enterprises in crisis time

The economic crisis it is a rapid economic downturn. National economies are increasingly intertwined through trade and capital what results in fast transmission of the crisis between countries. The crisis results mainly in the deteriorating financial situation of enterprises and in the increase of unemployment, the deterioration in consumer confidence and the reduction of purchases. Under such an unstable macroeconomic environment European companies were forced to review their strategies and maintain a high flexibility for their reactions to changes in the environment. The promotion of competitiveness of European enterprises has become the priority of public regional, national and supranational authorities. Any initiatives hads and still have a great role in building a sustainable and permanent competitive position of the European companies. Companies operating in the European Union are in a unique situation, because they might receive a direct and indirect support to combat the negative effects of the crisis and to enhance their competitiveness on both the national and Community levels. The European companies are offered a wide range of support in the form of the pan-European networks and services, as well as the financial programmes. This results in new opportunities for the effective functioning of European companies and in the improvement of their competitiveness in a difficult period of economic crisis and beyond.

Flies in the Ointment? Addressing Potential Impediments to Population-Based Health Benefits of Restaurant Menu Labeling Initiatives

Section 4205 of the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010) will require calorie labeling of food products sold in restaurant chains in the near future. However, research regarding the potential impact of this policy is mixed. The authors note some key impediments that diminish the likelihood of population-based reductions in calorie consumption, in addition to necessary conditions required to realize long-term favorable effects of menu labeling initiatives. The authors discuss key moderators of labeling effects that need to be considered and offer recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of calorie labeling. They also consider specific opportunities for further research and unintended consequences of labeling of restaurant items. They argue that although calorie labeling may not have a substantial impact in the short run on the broad population of restaurant diners, specific segments should benefit, and there potentially will be reductions in purchases of less healthy items for which the expectations of calorie-conscious consumers have been inaccurate.

Reduction in Purchases of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Among Low-Income Black Adolescents After Exposure to Caloric Information

We examined the effect of an intervention to provide caloric information about sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on the number of SSB purchases. We used a case-crossover design with 4 corner stores located in low-income, predominately Black neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland. The intervention randomly posted 1 of 3 signs with the following caloric information: (1) absolute caloric count, (2) percentage of total recommended daily intake, and (3) physical activity equivalent. We collected data for 1600 beverage sales by Black adolescents, aged 12-18 years, including 400 during a baseline period and 400 for each of the 3 caloric condition interventions. Providing Black adolescents with any caloric information significantly reduced the odds of SSB purchases relative to the baseline (odds ratio [OR] = 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.36, 0.89). When examining the 3 caloric conditions separately, the significant effect was observed when caloric information was provided as a physical activity equivalent (OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.31, 0.85). Providing easily understandable caloric information--particularly a physical activity equivalent--may reduce calorie intake from SSBs among low-income, Black adolescents.

Auto Restricted Zone versus price changes: a case study

This case study compares the Auto Restricted Zone Policy (ARZ) with price changes for parking permits in Louisiana State University (LSU). We find that ARZ has a more significant effect on the reduction in purchase of parking permits than price increases, albeit with a lag. We also find that while driving continues to be the primary mode of choice, a significant number of students are willing to adopt alternative means of transportation, if facilities associated with them are improved. Since LSU is fairly representative, we believe that this case study contains lessons for other universities in the country facing traffic congestion issues.

Potent Risk Factor for Aneurysm Formation: Termination Aneurysms of the Anterior Communicating Artery and Detection of A1 Vessel Asymmetry by Flow Dilution

There is a high incidence of intracranial aneurysms of the AcomA suggesting the possibility of an anatomic risk factor. There also exists an association of termination-type aneurysms with anatomic variations of 1 anterior cerebral artery trunk (A1) as the exclusive or dominant supply to both pericallosal arteries (A2). This yields the hypotheses of aneurysm formation from straight jets of A1 blood. The anatomy and contrast filling of A1 and A2 segments and AcomAs were studied for a subset of cases entered into the Cerecyte Coil Trial for patients with AcomA (n = 105) and other aneurysms (n = 123) that were selected from imaging available at the Cerecyte Core Trial angiographic Core Lab. These cases were analyzed for A1 vessel dominance by measurement of the vessel diameter and dilution of angiographic contrast agent in A2s due to the differential flow source on selective angiography. A control group without aneurysms was assessed anatomically, using a large sequential CTA series (n = 159), acquired during acute stroke assessment. A1 dominance configuration is strongly associated with the presence of AcomA aneurysms for patients with intracranial aneurysms (odds ratio, 17.8). This association is also present compared with the incidence of A1 dominance in the large sequential control series of patients without aneurysms undergoing CTA for other reasons (odds ratio, 7.5). Outflow dilution of selective angiographic images augments anatomic information. A flow-based assessment of contrast flowing from the A1 to the A2 segments after injection pressure is superior to an A1 diameter based categorization when A1 vessel diameters are not strikingly different. The anatomic variant of asymmetric A1 configurations likely facilitates the development of AcomA aneurysms by flow stresses, providing further evidence to support the role of biophysical factors in intracranial aneurysm development.

Improving food purchasing choices through increased understanding of food labels, using itemized till receipts to measure these changes

Background: Rising obesity and the associated risks of diabetes and heart disease require changes in diet to bring about healthier eating. To achieve this, people need to understand nutrition and daily requirements but are frequently confused by nutrition information on food labels. The introduction of the Food Standards Agency's ‘Traffic Light’ and the alternative ‘Guideline Daily Amount’ systems may help or further confuse the public. A previous study showed that although 63% of study participants read labels, only 25% claimed to understand them, also knowledge of nutrient requirements and functions was low (Rigby, 2004). Ransley et al., (2001) have shown that till receipts can be used to estimate fat and energy intake. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether an intervention designed to improve understanding of nutrition and labels could improve food purchases and whether these changes could be measured from till receipts.Method: Participants were recruited from the general public (80 female; 23 males) (age <30 years (23), 31–45 years (25), 46–60 years (30), >60 years (22). Subjects were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 78) who were provided with an information booklet and credit card sized nutrition and labelling information to use when shopping, or the control group (n = 25), who received the information after four weeks of normal shopping. The intervention group provided an initial till receipt pre intervention and was then given the nutrition and labelling material. Further till receipts were returned from successive shopping trips over the following 4 weeks. The nine categories of food used for comparison were: fruit and vegetables, saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, white cereals, wholegrain cereals, processed foods, full fat and reduced fat items. Ethics approval was obtained from NWW Wales NHS Trust ethics committee.Results: Each of the nine food categories on till receipts were calculated as a percentage of the total shopping, excluding non‐food items. General linear model repeated measures analyses showed differences between study participants’ food purchases. For the intervention group, purchases in three of the nine food categories showed significant improvements: increased purchases of fruits and vegetables (P < 0.001); reduction in purchases of saturated fats (P < 0.001); and reduction of white cereal purchases (P < 0.050). The control group showed no differences in any category.Discussion: Although the intervention group did show improvements in most of the other food categories, they were not statistically significant. Positive changes were found in seven of the nine categories, with only one, wholegrain cereals, showing a decrease in purchases rather than an increase. The control group displayed a random pattern over the four till receipts, with eight categories either showing negative change or no change; only one showed a positive change. The disproportionate group sizes may mean that it is not be possible to draw firm conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the intervention.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that positive changes in improving food‐purchasing choices, as measured by till receipts, can be made by using educational interventions. Further larger studies using routinely collected supermarket data would enable the study to be replicated on a much larger scale.References Ransley, J.K., Donnelly, J.K., Khara, T.N., Botham, H., Arnott, H., Greenwood, D.C. & Cade, J.E. (1991) The use of supermarket till receipts to determine the fat and energy intake in a UK population. Public Health Nutr. 4, 1279–1286.Rigby, P. (2004) Effecting change. Understanding nutritional information. Can increased knowledge and understanding in relation to nutritional information bring about a change in eating habits? PhD Thesis WA: Bangor University.

A methodology to evaluate differential costs of full field digital as compared to conventional screen film mammography in a clinical setting

Purpose The use of full field digital mammography (FFDM) in alternative to conventional screen film mammography (SFM) in the current practice is delayed by the high costs of FFDM. The present study, performed at the Centro per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica of Florence, using both FFDM and SFM, was aimed at estimating the impact of introducing the new FFDM technique on overall mammography costs. Material and methods We estimated the differential costs of both methods, based on real expenditures, as provided by the administrative department, and on radiologists, radiographers and other staff's working time. Two different workload scenarios (5000 and 10,000 tests/year per mammography equipment) were considered. Common costs of both techniques were censored for study purpose. Results Beside a higher cost due to purchase and hire/leasing costs of equipment, FFDM implies a greater workload for radiologists (reading time almost doubled). SFM implies a greater workload for the administrative staff to run the archive and for loading/unloading films of the roller viewer, whereas no different workload has been observed for radiographers. Overall FFDM costs €24.22–26.46 for examination more than SFM for the 5000 tests scenario and €9.91–12.15 more for the 10,000 tests scenario. Discussion Although present study estimates cannot easily be generalised to any local setting, the model for cost calculation is easy to be exported to another scenario by applying different local parameters. The advantages made available by FFDM (computerised data recording, tele-transmission, tele-reporting, tele-consulting, automatic display on monitor of previous exams and use of CAD) may justify the higher cost, but a limited reduction in purchase and assistance costs could easily allow a turnover, with FFDM being more convenient than SFM even on the cost side.

Customer anger at price increases, changes in the frequency of price adjustment and monetary policy

While firms claim to be concerned with consumer reactions to price increases, these often do not cause large reductions in purchases. The model developed here fits this by letting consumers react negatively only when they become convinced that prices are unfair. This can explain price rigidity, though its implications are not identical to those of existing models of costly price adjustment. In particular, the frequency of price adjustment can depend on economy-wide variables observed by consumers. This has implications for the effects of monetary policy and can explain why inflation does not fall immediately after a monetary tightening.

ANEMIA IN FAMILIES OF IRON DEFICIENT INNER-CITY SCHOOL CHILDREN: A FOLLOW-UP STUDY, 1972–1976

A hematologic survey conducted in 1972 Identified 68 of 1210 children 5 to 8 years of age as iron deficient. The 68 families were investigated; in 1975, 38 of the families were reinvestigated. In 1975, 9 Infant children had a mean hemoglobin concentration (HGB) of 10.4 gn/dl (SD=0.97) as compared to a mean HGB of 11.5 (SD=1.38) for 13 similarly-aged children in these same 38 families in 1972 (p<0.005). For 39 children 3 to 10 years of age at both times of testing, mean HGB was 10.8 In 1975 as compared to 12.0 in 1972 (p<0.001). For the 1210 children originally surveyed in 1972, mean HGB was 12.25 (SD=1.03). In 1976 a survey of 221 similarly-aged children in a single school revealed a mean HGB of 11.8 (SD=1.04) (p<0.001).During the period between investigations, there were dramatic changes in food costs, and nationally, in patterns of food consumption. A survey of local supermarket sales showed significant reductions in purchases of meat products in the impoverished area of Philadelphia where these investigations took place; no such change was demonstrated in a prosperous area of the city.A rise in the prevalence of specific nutrient deficiency is known to occur in underdeveloped countries in association with rises in the cost of food staples. The data presented herein suggests that a similar phenomenon has occurred here.