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This study investigates the relationship between consumer sentiment (CONS), inflation expectations (INEX) and international energy prices, drawing on principles from behavioral. We focus on Brent crude oil price and Henry Hub natural gas prices as key indicators of energy market dynamics. Based on the monthly data from January 2003 to March 2023, three wavelet methods are applied to examine the time-frequency linkage, while the nonlinear distributed lag model (NARDL) is used to verify the asymmetric impact of two factors on energy prices. The results highlight a substantial connection between consumer sentiment, inflation expectations and international energy prices, with the former in the short term and the latter in the medium to long term. Especially, these correlations are particularly pronounced during the financial crisis and global health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 epidemic. Furthermore, we detect short-term asymmetric effects of consumer sentiment and inflation expectations on Brent crude oil price, with the negative shocks dominating. The positive effects of these factors on oil prices contribute to observed long-term asymmetry. In contrast, inflation expectations have short-term and long-run asymmetric effects on natural gas price, and both are dominated by reverse shocks, while the impact of consumer sentiment on natural gas prices appears to be less asymmetric. This study could enrich current theories on the interaction between the international energy market and serve as a supplement to current literature., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Fu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Hypertension management apps (HMAs) can be effective in controlling blood pressure, but their actual impact is often suboptimal. Establishing a user satisfaction evaluation indicator system for HMAs can assist app developers in enhancing app design and functionality, while also helping users identify apps that best meet their needs. This approach aims to improve the overall effectiveness of app usage., Objective: This study aims to systematically collect data on HMAs and their user reviews in the United States and China. It analyzes app usage patterns and functional characteristics, identifies factors influencing user satisfaction from existing research, and develops a satisfaction evaluation indicator system to provide more accurate recommendations for improving user satisfaction., Methods: We conducted a descriptive statistical analysis to assess the development status of HMAs in both countries and applied the task-technology fit model to evaluate whether the app functionalities align with business needs. We separately summarized the factors influencing user satisfaction in both countries from previous research, utilized the analytic hierarchy process to develop an evaluation indicator system for HMA user satisfaction, and calculated satisfaction levels. Based on these findings, we propose improvements to enhance app functionality and user satisfaction., Results: In terms of current development status, there were fewer HMAs and user reviews in China compared with the United States. Regarding app functional availability, fewer than 5% (4/91) of the apps achieved a demand fulfillment rate exceeding 80% (8/10). Overall, user satisfaction in both countries was low., Conclusions: In the United States, user satisfaction was lowest for advertising distribution, data synchronization, and reliability. By contrast, Chinese apps need improvements in cost efficiency and compatibility., (©Yunfan He, Han Chen, Peng Xiang, Min Zhao, Yingjun Li, Yongcheng Liu, Tong Wang, Jun Liang, Jianbo Lei. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 03.09.2024.)

Background: Nudges offer a promising tool to reduce sugary drink intake among children who are most at risk for diet-related disease., Objective: To examine the impact of online store nudges on purchases of sugary drinks for children in lower-income households., Methods: Caregivers with lower-income were recruited to an online shopping experiment and instructed to spend $10-$30 on three beverages for their child aged 1-5 years. Participants were randomized to navigate an online supermarket in its standard version (n = 1106) or a version with nudges (n = 1135), including a product placement nudge (i.e. placing healthy beverages in prominent positions) and a swap nudge (i.e. offering a swap of water, plain milk and/or 100% fruit juice upon selection of sugary drinks)., Results: On average, participants purchased 1887 (SD = 2113) and 620 (SD = 1528) calories from sugary drinks per basket in the control and experimental conditions, respectively. Model-based results indicate that those in the experimental condition purchased 1267 (95% CI: 1419, 1114) fewer calories from sugary drinks, and fewer grams of total sugar (β = -253.5 g (95% CI: -286.3, -220.6)) and added sugar (β = -287.8 g (95% CI: -323.1, -252.5)) purchased from sugary drinks., Conclusion: Nudges may be an effective, acceptable, scalable strategy for leading caregivers in lower-income households to purchase fewer sugary drinks for their children., (© 2024 World Obesity Federation.)

Existing data on the equine hay market and buying preferences in Pennsylvania (PA) is outdated and more recent data is needed. The objective of this project was to characterize the practices and attitudes of PA horse hay buyers. An online survey was created and distributed. It received 435 total responses (of these, 346 were complete responses) from PA horse hay buyers from October 2021 to February 2022. Data presented (descriptive statistics) represents the percentage of respondents answering that question. Most (76%) respondents were in the recreational sector of the horse industry and the majority (62%) purchased hay for 2-5 horses. Small square bales (2-string) were most commonly purchased (93%), and most respondents bought their hay exclusively by the bale (75%). The most common reasons for not purchasing large bales were not being able to transport or handle them (70%), followed by not having adequate storage (60%). Horse owners were most likely to buy hay directly from local farmers (90%) than any other source. The top three most important factors when purchasing hay were absence of mold, absence of weeds, and smell (rated "very important" by 98, 53, and 52% of respondents, respectively). Most respondents did not use hay feeders in stalls or outside (38 and 50%, respectively). Most hay buyers (63%) never have their hay analyzed for nutrient content. The data collected from this survey can help hay producers understand buying practices of horse owners and help equine nutritionists identify areas of need for horse owner education about hay., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors has any financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Single-use product usage is not a new concern. However, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use and disposal of single-use products, especially those related to managing the pandemic, rose to prominence. Reports of shortages-and at the same time litter formation arising from improper disposal of various pandemic-related materials such as gloves, masks, wipes, and food takeout containers-were frequently relayed. To address shortages, it was recommended that single-use products be reused in some instances. As these recommendations were widely adopted, it became essential to assess consumer preferences regarding single-use product usage. Aiming to fill that void, a survey was distributed to learn about single-use product usage, possible reuse of single-use products, and waste-management practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Respondents preferred reusable fabric masks followed by disposable surgical masks. A significant percentage of respondents answered that they would reuse a disposable mask and mostly selected rotating masks as the preferred "disinfection" method in between the reuse of single-use masks. Gloves were not used by most respondents whereas wipes and/or paper towels were used by more than half of respondents. Free-response answers were analyzed for common themes. Concerns related to pandemic-related product use and disposal, and food packaging or food preparation were observed in the free-response answers. This survey reveals that respondents perceived changes in their consumption and waste generation or perceived a change in the type of products consumed and discarded due to the pandemic. Overall, respondents expressed a preference for reuse and a concern over the increase in single-use products. Results of this study can be used to make projections on the consumption and reuse of single-use products in crisis scenarios. In addition, the data can be used to model the use and disposal phase in single-use product life-cycle assessments. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:1736-1746. © 2024 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)., (© 2024 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).)

Background: With rising obesity rates in Western societies, analyzing changes in dietary patterns is paramount. While nutritional surveys have been informative, traditional cookbooks have historically shed light on national cuisines and its changes. Despite the growing popularity of online platforms for food information, cookbooks might still reflect prevalent dietary trends and the diets people follow. This study examined (1) the changes in nutritional content and food group usage in the best-selling cookbooks from 2008 to 2018, and (2) the correlation between the food groups in these cookbooks and dietary patterns (inferred from household purchases) over the same timeframe., Methods: An exploratory ecological study was conducted on 20 main course recipes of each of the five best-selling cookbooks in Flanders annually between 2008 and 2018. Trends in macronutrients and food group usage in these recipes were analyzed using generalized linear models. Additionally, these trends were compared to household purchase data in Flanders using correlation matrices., Results: Our results reveal a rising trend towards the use of plant-based ingredients and meat alternatives in cookbooks over the period 2008-2018. There was an increase in the usage of vegetables, nuts & seeds, and cheese. Conversely, there was a decline in the usage of meat, sugar & sweeteners, alcohol, and dairy (all p-values < 0.05). In terms of macronutrient content, there was an upswing in carbohydrate, fibre, and sugar levels, while the total fat content showed a decrease (all p-values < 0.05). The levels of protein and saturated fat remained consistent over time. Notably, shifts in plant-based and animal-based food group preferences in popular cookbook recipes align with the trends seen in actual household purchases of these food groups (all p-values < 0.05)., Conclusion: These findings indicate that cookbook content evolves over time, potentially reflecting shifts in population dietary patterns. Future research is needed to determine (Buisman ME, Jonkman J. Dietary trends from 1950 to 2010: a Dutch cookbook analysis. J Nutr Sci [Internet]. 2019 ed [cited 2022 Apr 19];8. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-nutritional-science/article/dietary-trends-from-1950-to-2010-a-dutch-cookbook-analysis/AB281ADE0F09FF8F518B8AC4A2A5BEA8#supplementary-materials ) any causative link between cookbooks and dietary habits, and (Ashwell M, Barlow S, Gibson S, Harris C. National Diet and Nutrition Surveys: the British experience. Public Health Nutr. 2006;9(4):523-30.) the potential for cookbooks to aid in health promotion., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

(1) Background: Food waste (FW) in Romania is 70 Kg/capita/year, while 70% of food waste comes from public catering, retail services, and households (over 50%-47 million tons). The present study investigates the socio-demographic factors, behaviors, motivations, and attitudes related to food waste management in Romanian households. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using an online questionnaire via the Google Forms platform from 15 April 2023 to 15 May 2023. The questionnaire was designed to assess various aspects, such as some socio-demographic information (age, sex, occupation, area of residence, study level, household members number, children <18 years of age); the personal involvement and frequency of food purchases and homemade food cooking; the main sources that generate food waste; the motivation and frequency with which food waste occurs; the level of awareness regarding the impact of food waste; the respondents' intentions regarding sustainable behaviors and practices for food management; the level of information and familiarity of the respondents with the notions of validity and how these may influence their food consumption decisions. (3) Results: The results show that FW incidence is occasionally (42%), very rarely (43.33%), frequently (15%), and no food waste was reported by 2.66% of respondents. The 35-44 age category records the highest FW frequency, followed by 18-24. The most wasted are homemade food (29.67%), bread and bakery products (27.00%), and fruits and vegetables (14.33%). High involvement in purchasing and buying food following a previously established list reduces FW frequency. The same is valid for high daily involvement in food and homemade cooking. High interest in the FW problem and its perception as a waste of money leads to diminishing it, while guilty feelings increase the FW level (37.50% to 73.33%). (4) Conclusions: The present study shows that household food waste management is a multifactorial process that involves numerous socio-demographic, behavioral, and emotional aspects. Extensive data analysis supports our results, revealing deep self-reported information details and confirming its complex approach.

Objectives: To examine characteristics of Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees who use their plan's customer service to help plans understand how to better meet members' needs., Study Design: National sample of 259,533 respondents to MA Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey enrolled in any of the 559 MA contracts in 2022., Methods: We assessed the association between self-reported customer service use in the prior 6 months and enrollee demographic, coverage, health, and health care utilization characteristics. We used weighted linear regression models to test for bivariate and multivariate associations between customer service use and enrollee characteristics., Results: Forty-two percent of MA enrollees reported using customer service in the prior 6 months. Use was 20 percentage points (PP) higher for those in poor vs excellent/very good general health, 13 PP higher for those in poor vs excellent/very good mental health, and 14 PP higher for those reporting 3 or more vs no chronic conditions. Those using customer service more often had lower educational attainment, had limited income and assets, preferred another language to English, and had greater health care utilization., Conclusions: MA customer service supports a less healthy, higher-need population with greater-than-average barriers to health care, and so should be designed and staffed to effectively serve medically complex, high-need patients. Commercial plan evidence suggests that continuity in customer service support for a member or a given issue may be helpful. Customer service is an important mechanism for improving quality and addressing health equity.

In Martinique, pig production satisfies less than 20% of demand for pork, with traditional pig farming and wild pig hunting covering only a small proportion. This study has three parts: (i) for the first time, it analyses the performance of domesticated descendants of Creole feral pigs of Martinique based on a 29-day finishing test on two farms (A vs. B) with the same fibre-rich diet on a total of 40 pigs; (ii) it evaluates consumers' tastes based on a sensorial test by an untrained panel of 61 consumers who tasted pork prepared as a fricassee from either farm A or farm B; and (iii) evaluates willingness to pay (WTP) for Creole pork products and of the design of a future niche market. The average daily gain (ADG) of the finishing pigs was higher on farm A than on farm B (256 vs. 100 g/d, P < 0.001) resulting in a higher hot carcass weight on farm A than farm B (41.3 vs. 33.5 kg, P < 0.01), and better hot carcass yield on farm B than farm A (74.0 vs 68.8 %, P < 0.01). In the sensorial test, the consumers gave a higher score to the meat originating from the youngest pigs (Farm B), especially scores for tenderness and juiciness (+0.94 and +0.55 points, P < 0.05 and P=0.10, respectively). The 61 respondents were willing to pay more for processed products (sausage, pâté, ham) than for fresh meat. They considered that Creole pork has a better taste and is of better quality than industrial meats originating from mainstream genotypes. According to the majority of respondents, Creole pork should be rich in intra-muscular fat (100% of respondents) and low in inter-muscular fat (60% of respondents). Based on the survey, the main desirable future for Martinique's Creole pig production correspond to a low-carbon system with feed based on local resources, with on-farm slaughtering and short-distance sales (direct-to-consumer farm gate sale, sale at the butcher's or at the pig cooperative)., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Introduction: While retail sales and retailer inspection studies generally indicate high compliance with state sales restrictions on Nicotine Vaping Products (NVPs) within the restricted area, studies using survey data generally indicate that most users could readily continue gaining access to restricted NVPs. Our study bridges a gap in the current literature and investigates the potential role of cross-state border purchases to evade state emergency NVP sales restrictions in 2019., Aims and Methods: The study sample was restricted to NVP sales from the states neighboring Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington, three states that implemented all NVP or flavored NVP sales restrictions in 2019. Among these neighboring states, the 2019 weekly county-level NVP sales by flavors (tobacco, mint/menthol, and other flavors) were compiled using Nielsen Scanner data. A quasi-experimental, comparison group pre-post study design was used to study the impacts of NVP sales restrictions on cross-state border NVP purchases., Results: Weekly NVP sales for border counties significantly increased in response to the MA, RI, and WA bans for tobacco flavored (56%, 45%, 14%, respectively), menthol/mint flavored (51%, 2%, 41%, respectively), and other flavored (79%, 3%, 4%, respectively) products, compared to sales for non-border counties (all p-values < .01)., Conclusions: Our study identified significant cross-state border NVP purchases in all studied states to circumvent NVP emergency sales restrictions in response to the EVALI outbreak. Policymakers should factor in these purchasing behaviors to evade sales restrictions when evaluating any future potential policies at the state or local levels., Implications: While retail sales data and retailer inspections indicate high compliance with Nicotine Vaping Product (NVP) flavor sales restrictions from major retail outlets, survey data obtain mixed findings on the effects of sales restrictions on vaping behaviors. Our study identified a significant increase in cross-state border NVP purchases to circumvent NVP sales restrictions in 2019, consistent across all three settings of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington. Policymakers should factor in these cross-state border NVP purchases in response to sales restrictions when evaluating any future potential NVP sales restrictions., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: Evidence for the effect of neighbourhood food environment (NFE) exposures on diet in the UK is mixed, potentially due to exposure misclassification. This study used the first national COVID-19 lockdown in England as an opportunity to isolate the independent effects of the NFE exposure on food and drink purchasing, and assessed whether these varied by region., Methods: Transaction-level purchasing data for food and drink items for at-home (1,221 households) and out-of-home consumption (171 individuals) were available from the GB Kantar Fast Moving Consumer Goods Panel for London and the North of England. The study period included 23rd March to 10th May 2020 ('lockdown'), and the same period in 2019 for comparison. NFE exposures included food outlet density and proximity, and NFE composition within a 1 km network buffer around the home. Associations were estimated for both years separately, adjusted for individual and household characteristics, population density and area deprivation. Interaction terms between region and exposures were explored., Results: There were no consistent patterns of association between NFE exposures and food and drink purchasing in either time period. In 2019, there was some evidence for a 1.4% decrease in energy purchased from ultra-processed foods for each additional 500 m in the distance to the nearest OOH outlet (IR 0.986, 95% CI 0.977 to 0.995, p = 0.020). In 2020, there was some evidence for a 1.8% reduction in total take-home energy for each additional chain supermarket per km2 in the neighbourhood (IR 0.982, 95% CI 0.969, 0.995, p = 0.045). Region-specific effects were observed in 2019 only., Discussion: Findings suggest that the differences in exposure to the NFE may not explain differences in the patterns or healthiness of grocery purchasing. Observed pre-pandemic region-specific effects allude to the importance of geographical context when designing research and policy. Future research may assess associations for those who relied on their NFE during lockdown., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Kalbus et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Purpose: The lack of requisite library resources has an enormous effect on academic life in most universities. While previous studies have suggested that the lack of resources such as textbooks affects academic success, this study seeks to provide empirical evidence on the chain effect of the lack of recommended textbooks in universities., Design/methodology/approach: The study uses a quantitative dataset from 636 students from five public universities in Ghana collected using well-structured questionnaires. The study adopts exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the measurement and structural models., Findings: The study concludes that limited library resources (such as recommended textbooks) frustrate library users and eventually birth antisocial behaviors such as stealing, hiding, and eroding books (or pages)., Originality/value: This study highlights the significance of providing adequate library resources. It also guides library managers, policymakers, and scholars to manage library resources effectively., (© 2024 The Author(s). Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess purchasing, intake, and weight after discounting fruits and vegetables (F&V) and noncaloric beverages in New York City supermarkets., Methods: A 16-week randomized controlled trial was conducted with a 4-week baseline, an 8-week intervention with 50% discounts on F&V and noncaloric beverages, and a 4-week follow-up. Purchasing was tracked via loyalty cards, and intake was tracked via 24-h dietary recalls. Weights were measured at five in-person visits., Results: Data from 67 participants were analyzed (38 in the experimental group; 29 in the control group). F&V and noncaloric beverage weekly purchasing was greater in the experimental than the control group (mean difference [SD], $4.64 [$1.44], p < 0.0001; $0.53 [$0.39], p = 0.008) during intervention, with F&V purchasing remaining greater in the experimental versus control group during follow-up (p = 0.005). F&V intake was greater for the experimental than the control group during intervention (142 [105] g/day; p = 0.009) and follow-up (p = 0.001). Although no difference in noncaloric beverage consumption was observed between groups, there was lower alcohol intake in the experimental than the control group during follow-up (-85.8 [60.2] g/day; p = 0.004). The experimental group lost weight compared with the control group (-1.33 [0.92] kg; p = 0.006 intervention and p = 0.106 follow-up). No differences in nutrient composition or high energy-dense product consumption were found., Conclusions: A 50% discount on F&V and noncaloric beverages promoted increased purchasing and intake of F&V and induced weight loss., (© 2024 The Obesity Society.)

The objective of this exploratory community-based trial was to examine the usage and behavior of underserved urban residents participating in a 2-month food voucher program. $70 supermarket vouchers were provided each month for 2 months to participants enrolled in selected child daycare centers in East Harlem, New York, and receipts were collected to examine purchases. Participants were from low-income households with at least 1 child 5 years and younger (n = 113). Participants spent the most on meat, fish, poultry, and eggs (29.7%); fruits and vegetables (15.9%); and cereal and bakery products (15.1%). Fruit and vegetable purchases and dairy purchases were higher in foreign-born participants than in US-born participants. Furthermore, future models should consider the potential benefit of unrestricted vouchers in supporting differences in dietary needs and preferences., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Fiscal policies can shift relative food prices to encourage the purchase and consumption of minimally processed foods while discouraging the purchase and consumption of unhealthy ultraprocessed foods, high in calories and nutrients of concern (sodium, sugar, and saturated fats), especially for low-income households., Methods: The 2017-2018 packaged food purchase data among U.S. households were used to derive household income- and composition-specific demand elasticities across 22 food and beverage categories. Policy simulations, conducted in 2022-2023, assessed the impact of national taxes on unhealthy ultraprocessed food and beverage purchases, both separately and alongside subsidies for minimally processed foods and beverages targeted to low-income households. Resultant nutritional implications are reported on the basis of changes in purchased calories and nutrients of concern. In addition, financial implications for both households and the federal government are projected., Results: A sugar-based tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would lower both volume and calories purchased with the largest impact on low-income households without children. Meanwhile, targeted subsidies would increase fruit, vegetable, and healthier drink purchases without substantially increasing calories. Under tax simulations, low-income households would make larger reductions in their absolute volume and calorie purchases of taxed foods and beverages than their higher-income counterparts, suggesting that these policies, if implemented, could help narrow nutritional disparities., Conclusions: Levying national taxes on unhealthy ultraprocessed foods/beverages and offering targeted subsidies for minimally processed foods/beverages could promote healthier food choices among low-income households. Such policies have the potential to benefit low-income households financially and at a relatively low cost for the federal government annually., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Regular consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. UPF are widely available in supermarkets. Nudging and pricing strategies are promising strategies to promote healthier supermarket purchases and may reduce UPF purchases. We investigated whether supermarket nudging and pricing strategies targeting healthy foods, but not specifically discouraging UPF, would change UPF availability, price, promotion and placement (UPF-APPP) in supermarkets and customer UPF purchases. We used data from the Supreme Nudge parallel cluster-randomized controlled trial, testing the effect of a combined nudging and pricing intervention promoting healthy products. The Dutch Consumer Food Environment Score (D-CFES) was used to audit 12 participating supermarkets in terms of UPF-APPP. We used customer loyalty card data of the first twelve intervention weeks from 321 participants to calculate the proportion of UPF purchases. Descriptive statistics were used to assess differences in D-CFES between supermarkets. Mixed model analyses were used to assess the association between the D-CFES and UPF purchases and the effect of the intervention on UPF purchases. No difference in the D-CFES between intervention and control supermarkets were found. No statistically significant association between the D-CFES and UPF purchases (β = -0.00, 95%CI: -0.02, 0.01) and no significant effect of the intervention on UPF purchases (β = 0.02, 95%CI: -0.07, 0.12) was observed. Given the significant proportion of unhealthy and UPF products in Dutch supermarkets, nudging and pricing strategies aimed at promoting healthy food purchases are not sufficient for reducing UPF-APPP nor purchases, and nationwide regulation may be needed.Trial registration number: Dutch Trial Register ID NL7064, May 30, 2018, https://trialsearch.who.int/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=NTR7302., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing Interest None declared., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: The literature for assessing online and offline shopping behaviours that are linked to intelligent robotic goods and services is inadequate. In this study, we applied the Theory of Planned Behaviour model for guidance regarding how consumer behaviour affects their purchase intentions for intelligent robotic goods and services., Methods: Data from 408 respondents were gathered through an online questionnaire binned into Online and Overall Shoppers, and analysed using SPSS, AMOS, and Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling software to evaluate the appropriateness of the measurements and to confirm data reliability, convergence, divergence, and validity. These tools were also used to track and test hypothesized relationships between the variables and model constructs used in this study., Results and Conclusions: The overarching outcomes from the data analyses indicated the Ease of Usage, Brand Perception, and Product Pricing variables causally impacted the TPB model constructs, namely Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Perceived Behaviour Control for the two populations tested with respect to their intention to purchase intelligent robotic goods and services. The reliability measurements for Ease of Usage, Brand Perception, and Product Pricing are discussed. The results are important for companies and future investors because opportunities to study the complex relationships that ultimately drive consumer behaviour and their intention to purchase intelligent robotic goods and services are provided., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Mechanically separated meat (MSM) is widely used in the food industry, however, there is a lack of studies on its consumption in populations. The objective of this study was to identify the frequency and amount of MSM consumption, factors associated with MSM consumption, nutrient intake and preferential choice of food groups among MSM consumers. This was an observational, cross-sectional prospective study based on a probability sample of manufacturing workers, conducted in Brazil. Logistic and linear multiple regression with robust standard errors were used. 921 workers from 33 manufacturing companies were studied, with an average age of 38.2 ± 10.7 years, 55.9% males. MSM products are consumed by 28.8% and represent in average 10% of total daily caloric intake, and 47.3% of the daily kcal from ultra-processed products. Younger age and greater waist circumference are associated with MSM consumption. Younger age and lesser educational level are associated with increased contribution of MSM to total daily kcal intake. MSM consumers have greater consumption of energy, fats, carbohydrates and sodium. Their dietary patterns are characterized by lower consumption of in natura and minimally processed foods, such as tubers and roots, fruits, white and red meat, and eggs and greater consumption of ultra-processed foods and beverages., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The overall price elasticity of cigarette consumption in Bangladesh has been studied extensively. The estimates of price elasticity by price tiers are not available in the existing literature., Methods: Using cohort data of nearly 6000 individuals from the International Tobacco Control Bangladesh survey, this study estimated the own-price and cross-price elasticity and income elasticity of cigarette demand by price tiers in Bangladesh. The elasticity was estimated in three stages of consumer decisions: whether to smoke, which brand to smoke and finally, how many cigarettes to smoke per day. The decision to smoke cigarettes and the choice of cigarette brands were modelled using instrumental variable probability regression. The cigarette consumption per day was modelled using seemingly unrelated regression., Results: The price elasticity of cigarette smoking prevalence with respect to the price of low-price cigarettes is -0.0487. The total elasticity for low-price cigarette consumption with respect to its own price is -0.1678. The own-price elasticity of smoking intensity of high-priced brands is -0.2512. The cross-price elasticity of low-price cigarette consumption with respect to high-price brand prices is 0.2643. The income elasticity of smoking prevalence overall is 0.0564. The income elasticity of daily consumption of low-price cigarettes is -0.1934 and for high-price cigarettes, it is 1.4044. The total income elasticity is 1.4608 for high-price cigarettes., Conclusion: A cigarette tax policy that raises the prices of both low-price and high-price brands-but increases prices in the low-price tier at a faster rate than in the high-price tier and increases prices of all brands at a pace faster than income growth-can effectively reduce cigarette consumption in Bangladesh., Jel Codes: H29, L66, I18., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: This study investigates the determinants impacting consumer purchasing behavior., Methods: Utilizing multidimensional planned behavior theory alongside measures of brand awareness and green brand awareness, this study examines the mediating role of multidimensional planned behavior theory. Empirical data were gathered through a survey conducted among Generation Z university students, yielding 638 responses. Analysis was performed on 590 valid responses., Results: Findings indicate that green marketing initiatives and green brand awareness positively influence consumers' purchase intentions. Subdimensions of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), namely, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, serve to strengthen these relationships and mediate the interaction process., Conclusion: This study contributes novel insights to the burgeoning field of green marketing literature, offering a structural model for firms and policymakers. It suggests that companies can effectively engage in informal consumer education through green marketing efforts, thereby influencing consumers' purchasing decisions via planned behavior. Moreover, such activities foster an increase in consumers' green brand awareness, providing companies with an opportunity to promote conscious consumer behavior. The study's utilization of the TPB is both timely and original, particularly in its alignment with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals., (© 2024 The Author(s). Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction: Since May 2018, federal restaurant menu labeling regulations have required large U.S. chain restaurants to disclose calorie counts on menus. This study estimates the share of U.S. adults who notice calorie information on fast-food and sit-down restaurant menus and identifies the consumer characteristics that predict noticing calorie labels., Methods: Using a nationally representative sample of 5,185 U.S. adults aged 18 and older from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), linear regression models were estimated to predict the likelihood of noticing calorie labels the last time adults ordered food in a fast-food or sit-down restaurant. The 2022 HINTS data were publicly released in April 2023 and these public-use and de-identified data were analyzed in October 2023., Results: In 2022, about 1 in 2 U.S. adults (49.7%, 95% CI=47.6%, 51.8%) reported noticing calorie labels during their last restaurant visit. The likelihood of noticing calorie information was significantly lower among men, lower income households, unpartnered adults, residents of the Northeast Census Region, and residents of rural areas., Conclusions: Approximately half of U.S. adults reported seeing calorie labels when they last ordered food in a fast-food or sit-down restaurant in 2022. Sex, income, marital status, and residential location influenced the likelihood of noticing calorie counts posted on restaurant menus., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Dealing with overconsumption and the waste crisis requires consumers to make a drastic lifestyle change, adopting more circular consumption patterns that support the prevention of waste generation. The goal of our study was to explore the range of precycling behaviors aimed at preventing waste generation in households. We tested the hypotheses of the Motivation Opportunity Ability framework using a nationally representative survey of consumers residing in Finland (n = 1,000). Respondents reported a high level of motivation, moderate level of opportunity and ability and engaged in precycling occasionally. Using exploratory factor analysis, we identified three types of precycling behaviors: long-term planning, resourceful behavior, and reuse for circularity. Multiple linear regression indicated that motivation (frugality and minimalism), opportunity (distance to circular economy services), ability (skills related to the circular economy), and precycling were associated. These findings suggest that policymakers need to focus on increasing consumers' precycling skills and improving the accessibility and availability of precycling services., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the intricate relationship between health and the environment has emerged with unparalleled significance. This investigation examines the effect of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) on health and environmental consciousness and its influence on attitudes towards green/sustainable products among 533 individuals. Utilizing linear structural modeling and regression analysis, the findings reveal that participation in sports and leisure activities significantly mediates the connection between individual well-being and eco-responsible consumer behaviors. Highlighting LTPA's crucial role in enhancing environmental awareness, this study offers invaluable perspectives for the green product sector. It advocates for the development of strategies that align with consumers' environmental values, underscoring the essential function of sports and leisure in fostering sustainable consumer practices. Crucially, this underscores the intertwined nature of environmental sustainability and individual health, highlighting their mutual dependence.

Online shopping addiction is a behavior that creates serious problems and has become increasingly prevalent in modern society. When addressing online shopping addiction, the direct or indirect causes of individuals' shopping actions must be taken into consideration. The present study aims to examine the effects of self-control, financial attitude, depression, anxiety, and stress on online shopping addiction by determining online shopping addiction, self-control, and financial attitude levels of consumers. The sample of this study consists of 694 voluntarily participating consumers selected through convenience sampling methods from a city in Türkiye. Data were collected through Google Forms and uploaded to the SPSS 25.0 package program. During the research process, the relationship patterns between self-control, financial attitude, depression, anxiety, and stress on online shopping addiction were examined by using structural equation modeling. It was determined in this study that consumers have moderate levels of financial attitude and self-control, and low levels of online shopping addiction. Given the results related to the relationships and hypotheses between variables, anxiety, depression, and financial attitude were found to have statistically significant effects on online shopping addiction, whereas stress and self-control were found to not have a significant effect. Within the scope of this study, it was identified that anxiety and depression positively affect online shopping addiction, whereas financial attitude has a negative effect., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Erzincanlı, Akbulut, Çubukcu and Taş.)

Introduction: US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Programme (GusNIP) produce prescription programme (PPR) 'prescriptions' provide eligible participants with low income, risk for diet-related chronic disease and food insecurity a healthcare issued incentive to purchase lower to no cost fruits and vegetables (FVs). However, GusNIP requirements specify that PPR prescriptions can only be redeemed for fresh (not frozen, canned or dried) FVs. This requirement may prevent participants from fully engaging in or benefiting from GusNIP PPR, given communities with lower healthy food access may have reduced fresh FV accessibility., Methods and Analysis: We will use the nationally representative 2012-2013 National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) and complementary FoodAPS Geography Component data in a secondary data analysis to examine how household GusNIP PPR eligibility relates to the quantity and variety of fresh, frozen, canned and dried FV purchases and to what extent individual, household and food environment factors shape the relationship. FoodAPS data include household food purchasing and acquisition information across a 7 day period from 14 317 individuals among 4826 households and was collected between April 2012 and January 2013. The FoodAPS Geography Component provides information about the local community/environment relative to FoodAPS households. This study will examine the correlation or association of selected variables between different quantities and varieties of fresh, frozen, canned and dried FVs, as well as correlations among multilevel predictors., Ethics and Dissemination: We are following data integrity standards as outlined by agreements with the USDA Economic Research Service. All results of analyses will undergo a thorough disclosure review to ensure no identifiable data are shared. Results will be disseminated to research, practice and policy communities using an Open Access peer-reviewed manuscript(s), scientific and practice presentations, and a public facing report and infographic., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Importance: Point-of-sale food messaging can encourage healthier purchases, but no studies have directly compared multiple interventions in the field., Objective: To examine which of 4 food and beverage messages would increase healthier vending machine purchases., Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized trial assessed 13 months (February 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020) of vending sales data from 267 machines and 1065 customer purchase assessments from vending machines on government property in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Data analysis was performed from March 5, 2020, to November 8, 2022., Interventions: Study interventions were 4 food and beverage messaging systems: (1) beverage tax posters encouraging healthy choices because of the Philadelphia tax on sweetened drinks; (2) green labels for healthy products; (3) traffic light labels: green (healthy), yellow (moderately healthy), or red (unhealthy); or (4) physical activity equivalent labels (minutes of activity to metabolize product calories)., Main Outcomes and Measures: Sales data were analyzed separately for beverages and snacks. The main outcomes analyzed at the transaction level were calories sold and the health status (using traffic light criteria) of each item sold. Additional outcomes were analyzed at the monthly machine level: total units sold, calories sold, and units of each health status sold. The customer purchase assessment outcome was calories purchased per vending trip., Results: Monthly sales data came from 150 beverage and 117 snack vending machines, whereas 1065 customers (558 [52%] male) contributed purchase assessment data. Traffic light labels led to a 30% decrease in the mean monthly number of unhealthy beverages sold (mean ratio [MR], 0.70; 95% CI, 0.55-0.88) compared with beverage tax posters. Physical activity labels led to a 34% (MR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.51-0.87) reduction in the number of unhealthy beverages sold at the machine level and 35% (MR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.50-0.86) reduction in mean calories sold. Traffic light labels also led to a 30-calorie reduction (b = -30.46; 95% CI, -49.36 to -11.56) per customer trip in the customer purchase analyses compared to physical activity labels. There were very few significant differences for snack machines., Conclusions and Relevance: In this 13-month randomized trial of 267 vending machines, the traffic light and physical activity labels encouraged healthier beverage purchases, but no change in snack sales, compared with a beverage tax poster. Corporations and governments should consider such labeling approaches to promote healthier beverage choices., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06260176.

Objective: To examine whether household type (eg, families with children) moderated the effects of an optimal defaults grocery intervention and examine intervention effects on grocery purchases to be consumed by the participant vs others in the household., Methods: Participants (n = 65) diagnosed with or at risk for type 2 diabetes were recruited and randomized into an optimal default online grocery intervention or an online or in-person control group. Grocery receipt data were coded into Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension nutritional quality scores, and energy, carbohydrate, and sugar content were calculated. Repeated measures analysis of variance examined household types (eg, single vs multi-resident) as moderators of intervention effects. Parallel models explored foods purchased for the participant and foods purchased for other household members separately., Results: Household type was not a significant moderator of intervention effects on nutritional quality or other nutrients of interest (P > 0.10). The default intervention significantly increased the nutritional quality of groceries purchased across household types and for other household members besides the participant (P < 0.05)., Conclusions and Implications: Optimal defaults may improve grocery purchases across different household types and extend to others in the household, supporting use across household types., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Residents' adoption of preventive behaviours proved beneficial in preventing the large-scale transmission of the virus during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. It is critical to investigate how social media triggers residents' preventive behaviour decisions during the COVID-19 outbreak., Methods: This paper selected online shopping as a specific preventive behaviour for empirical investigation. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted through the Sojump website from 1 to 15 March 2020, and a total of 1,289 valid questionnaires were collected from China. This paper uses multiple regression analysis to investigate the heterogeneous impacts of different information sources on residents' online shopping willingness and online shopping behaviour and the heterogeneous impacts of different information content in social media on the transformation of residents' online shopping willingness and online shopping behaviour., Results: The findings indicate that both official-media and self-media positively promote residents' online shopping willingness and behaviour, with official-media having a stronger promotional effect than self-media. Furthermore, official-media and self-media can collaboratively promote residents' online shopping willingness and online shopping behaviour. The ease-of-use and usefulness of information significantly promoted the transformation of residents' online shopping willingness., Conclusions: This study analyses the heterogeneous impacts of social media on residents' preventive behaviours from the perspectives of information source differentiation and information content differentiation, which enriches related studies and provides feasible paths for promoting residents' preventive behaviours., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The objective of this study was to (1) assess via cross-sectional survey the prevalence of food insecurity among African Americans [AAs] after their most recent grocery shopping trip, and (2) examine the grocery shopping factors of importance and characteristics of food-insecure AA grocery shoppers. Most (70.4%) were food-insecure. Food-insecure grocery shoppers were significantly more likely to be younger, less educated, who often skipped meals and/or practiced fasting, accessed a food pantry, were SNAP recipients, were considered to not be in "good" health, and who had higher BMI compared to food-secure shoppers ( p ≤ 0.03 * for all). Our data showed that AAs shopped for groceries a mean 2.20 ± 1.29 times per week, for low prices (72.1%), without a weekly budget (58.9%), with a grocery list (44.6%) or using an app (27.6%), for high-quality vegetables (27.5%), for good customer service (22.9%), for store brands (20.8%) and name brands (17.9%).Food-insecure shoppers were significantly more likely to grocery shop more times per week, have a weekly budget, and use an app, but were significantly less likely to report store brands, name brands, good customer service, and high-quality vegetables as grocery factors of importance ( p ≤ 0.03 * for all). Grocery strategies such as shopping with a grocery app and/or grocery list could help food-insecure AAs reduce grocery trips, promote meal planning to save money, and avoid skipping meals/fasting, while eating healthier.

Objective: To evaluate the trends in the healthiness of packaged food purchases of Australian consumers before and after the introduction of the Health Star Rating (HSR) nutrition labels., Design: Panel data analysis and difference-in-differences analysis., Setting: The Australian Government endorsed HSR nutrition labels for voluntary implementation on packaged foods in June 2014. We analyse the packaged food purchases of households across all major supermarkets before (January 2014 to June 2014) and after (June 2014-Dec 2018) the introduction of HSR., Participants: 6284 members of a panel of households across Australia reporting their grocery purchases to a market research company (Nielsen Homescan panel)., Results: The healthiness of household food purchases exhibited a U-shaped trend - decreasing from 2014 to 2017, and then increasing from 2018, corresponding to the time when a higher proportion of products were HSR-labelled. Households that purchased a higher proportion of HSR-labelled products had healthier household purchases overall. Further, the healthiness of households' category-specific food purchases was positively associated with the proportion of HSR-labelled products in categories where HSR was adopted, relative to control categories where HSR was not adopted., Conclusions: In Australia, once a substantial number of packaged food products adopted the voluntary HSR summary indicator, we observed an increasing trend in the healthiness of household food purchases. Widespread adoption of a nutrition summary indicator, such as HSR, on packaged food is likely to be beneficial for population health.

Objectives: Accuracy and relevance to health outcomes are important to researchers and clinicians who use consumer sleep technologies, but economic demand motivates consumer sleep technology design. This report quantifies the value of scientific relevance to the general consumer in a dollar amount to convey the importance of device accuracy in terms that consumer sleep technology manufacturers can appreciate., Methods: Survey data were collected from 368 participants on Amazon mTurk. Participants ranked sleep metrics, evaluation methods, and scientific endorsement by perceived level of importance. Participants indicated their likelihood of purchasing a hypothetical consumer sleep technology that had either (1) not been evaluated or endorsed; (2) had been evaluated but not endorsed, and; (3) had been evaluated and endorsed by a sleep science authority. Demand curves determined the relative value of each consumer sleep technology., Results: Devices that were evaluated and endorsed had the most value, followed by those only evaluated, and then those with no evaluation. The unit price at which there was 50% probability of purchase increased by $30 or $48 for evaluation or endorsement, respectively, relative to a nonvalidated device. Respondents indicated the most valuable sleep metric was sleep duration, the most important evaluation method was against laboratory/hospital standards for sleep, and that the highest value of endorsement came from a medical institution., Conclusions: Consumer demand is greatest for a device that has been evaluated by an independent laboratory and is endorsed by a medical institution. Consumer sleep technology manufacturers may be able to increase sales by partnering with sleep science authorities to produce a scientifically superior device., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicts of interest Authors L.P. Schwartz, J.K. Devine, J. Choynowski, and S.R. Hursh are affiliated with the non-profit organization Institutes for Behavior Resources, Inc but do not have any conflicts of interest for this publication., (Copyright © 2024 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Adolescents are often exposed to food retailers selling unhealthy food items during their lunch breaks and school commutes. This systematic review examines the influence of school neighborhood food retail environments on adolescent food purchasing., Methods: A systematic search of 6 databases. Observational studies published from January 2012 to December 2022 that measured food availability, accessibility, or exposure, measured food purchasing, and focused on adolescents (aged 10-19 years) were eligible for inclusion., Results: Twelve studies with 97 findings were included. Thirty-one findings indicated that a school neighborhood with a high density of unhealthy food retail, a school with unhealthy food retail nearby, or exposure to unhealthy food retail on the journey to/from school was associated with higher prevalence and frequency of unhealthy food purchases., Discussion: Adolescents' food purchasing behaviors may be meaningfully affected by their school neighborhood food retail environment; however, the included studies have many methodological shortcomings., Implications for Research and Practice: Results identify the need for new studies that measure food purchasing, use comprehensive definitions of food retail environments, and adopt more rigorous methods to approximate exposure to food retail. More robust evidence would strengthen the rationale for policy or program interventions and potentially indicate specific targets for intervention., (Copyright © 2023 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: Food labelling is a global strategy recommended to reduce noncommunicable diseases. Few reviews, however, have focused on food label use in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)., Objective: To determine the prevalence of food label use and describe determinants of food label use and purchasing decisions of adult consumers in SSA., Data Source: PubMed (Medline), Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and Google Scholar databases., Data Extraction: Search criteria included adults (aged ≥18 years), conducted in SSA, focusing on food label use or understanding and their determinants or determinants of food-purchasing decisions, and articles published in English., Study Quality and Data Analysis: Risk-of-bias assessment of included studies was done using the Joann Briggs Institute checklist for prevalence studies. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plots and Egger's test. Analysis included narrative synthesis and moderator and meta-analyses of food label use., Results: A total of 124 articles were found, of which 21 were included in the review. Of participants in the selected studies, 58% were female. About 80% reported food label use (either used sometimes or always) (70%-88%) (I2 = 97%; n = 6223), and regular use was estimated at 36% (28%-45%) (I2 = 97%; n = 5147). Food label use was influenced by level of income, education, employment status, and household size. Food-purchasing decisions were influenced by attributes such as expiry dates, price, and taste. Major recommendations reported were tailored education campaigns and reducing barriers to food label use., Conclusion: Most (80%) of adults in SSA reported using food labels; however, only about one-third used them consistently. Demographic and situation factors determined patterns in food label use, whereas product attributes influenced food purchasing decisions. Complexity of these determinants requires adopting tailored, multisectoral, theory-driven programs to improve food label use., Systematic Review Registration: Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/kc562)., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

While current global agriculture allows for efficient food production, it brings environmental disadvantages, which resulted in a lack of public acceptance. Digital technologies (e.g., technologies that enable precision agriculture) have been suggested as a potential solution to reconcile environmental sustainability and yield increases. By embedding digital technologies into holistic farming system visualized through mission statements, this study tests the effect of different intensities of digitization, as well as environmental arguments on the willingness to buy food produced by farms in Germany. We use a 4 x 4 repeated measure experimental design surveying a representative sample of 2,020 German citizens recruited online. Our research framework captures the farming system (comparing low intensity of digitalization for a small or organic farm and low, medium, and high intensity of digitalization for large or conventional farms) and environmental arguments (comparing no arguments, and altruistic, egoistic, and biospheric arguments). The results show a negative effect of digital technologies on willingness to buy. However, this relationship turns positive when introducing environmental arguments. Furthermore, there is a moderation effect for respondents' attitudes towards technologies that varies depending on whether altruistic, egoistic, or biospheric concerns were stated. The results indicate that digital technologies can increase willingness to buy products from both large and conventional farms, but not to the level of small farms and organic farms., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Wilmes et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The lessening of food wastage, specifically among nations where about half of its worldwide quantity is produced, has turned to be a mammoth challenge for environmental, social and economic sustainability, and represents one of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) within the Agenda 2030. The quantity of food being thrown away in spite of being in an edible condition has become alarming in middle and high income countries. The COVID-19 lockdown strategy, both at local and international levels, has expressively altered work, life and food consumption behaviors globally, directing to food wastage as a multi sectoral issue. Pakistan has no exception to such manifestations. The main objective of this study is to analyze the perceptions of rural people of Pakistan regarding food wastage during the COVID-19 pandemic. To evaluate whether behavior about food wastage among rural households varied or not during the pandemic, a descriptive survey was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire and 963 responses were selected for further empirical investigations. The findings of the study reveal that food waste actually decreased in spite of an increased amount of purchased food during the lockdown. Our results highlight that the effect of the pandemic has led to reduction in food wastage among rural respondents, an increased consciousness for the morals of food waste, and awareness of environmental impacts of food wastage. The conclusions of this study highlight that rural consumers of Pakistan are emerging with a new level of responsiveness about food wastage with possible positive impact on the environment in terms of decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and other pollutants. The study findings imply that this pandemic time provides a suitable window to raise awareness about food wastage among rural as well as urban households while contemplating effective strategies to overcome the issue of food wastage in the country., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The effects of the regular consumption of soy, barley, and green tea in a real-life setting are unclear. This longitudinal observational study showed the associations of their intake with cardiometabolic health when employees freely selected these foods in the workplace cafeteria of an industrial company in Japan. The consumption was objectively assessed by an electronic purchase system using integrated circuit chip-equipped tableware and personal identification cards. The associations between the cumulative number of servings of each food during the 12 weeks prior to a health examination and changes in cardiometabolic measurements were examined among Japanese male workers ( n = 890). Higher total intake of soy products was associated with significant lower levels in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Higher total intake of rice with barley was marginally associated with lower levels in systolic blood pressure and glycated hemoglobin. These associations were attenuated after adjustment for the baseline values of the dependent variables. Serving soy and barley products in the workplace cafeteria possibly promotes real-life benefits to employees' cardiometabolic health.

Loot boxes are a popular mechanic within many video games, but it remains unclear if some forms of loot boxes can be seen of as gambling. However, the perspectives of players are often neglected, such as whether they see them as 'fair' game elements and how closely they feel this aligns with gambling. In this paper, we synthesise a conceptualisation for loot boxes through players' actual experience and explore if there are any parallels with gambling. Twenty-one participants who played video games took part in the research through either an interview or online survey. Thematic analysis suggested that six themes were core to exploring loot boxes: Random Chance Effects, Attitudes Towards Content, Implementation, Parallels with Gambling, Game Design, and The Player. The results suggested both indirect and direct parallels with gambling from the players experiences. Implications of game design and classifying loot boxes as gambling are discussed in relation to game design and risk factors of gambling and purchasing behaviour., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Pictorial warnings on tobacco products are promising for motivating behavior change, but few studies have examined pictorial warnings for sugary drinks, especially in naturalistic environments. This study aimed to examine the impact of pictorial warnings on parents' purchases of sugary drinks for their children in a naturalistic store laboratory., Methods and Findings: Parents of children ages 2 to 12 (n = 325, 25% identifying as Black, 20% Hispanic) completed a shopping task in a naturalistic store laboratory in North Carolina. Participants were randomly assigned to a pictorial warnings arm (sugary drinks displayed pictorial health warnings about type 2 diabetes and heart damage) or a control arm (sugary drinks displayed a barcode label). Parents selected 1 beverage and 1 snack for their child, as well as 1 household good; one of these items was selected for them to purchase and take home. The primary outcome was whether parents purchased a sugary drink for their child. Secondary outcomes included reactions to the trial labels, attitudes toward sugary drinks, and intentions to serve their child sugary drinks. Pictorial warnings led to a 17-percentage point reduction in purchases of sugary drinks (95% CI for reduction: 7% to 27%), with 45% of parents in the control arm buying a sugary drink for their child compared to 28% in the pictorial warning arm (p = 0.002). The impact of pictorial warnings on purchases did not differ by any of the 13 participant characteristics examined (e.g., race/ethnicity, income, education, and age of child). Pictorial warnings also led to lower calories (kcal), purchased from sugary drinks (82 kcal in the control arm versus 52 kcal in the pictorial warnings arm, p = 0.003). Moreover, pictorial warnings led to lower intentions to serve sugary drinks to their child, feeling more in control of healthy eating decisions, greater thinking about the harms of sugary drinks, stronger negative emotional reactions, greater anticipated social interactions, lower perceived healthfulness of sugary drinks for their child, and greater injunctive norms to limit sugary drinks for their child (all p < 0.05). There was no evidence of difference between trial arms on noticing of the labels, appeal of sugary drinks, perceived amount of added sugar in sugary drinks, risk perceptions, or perceived tastiness of sugary drinks (all p > 0.05)., Conclusions: Pictorial warnings reduced parents' purchases of sugary drinks for their children in this naturalistic trial. Warnings on sugary drinks are a promising policy approach to reduce sugary drink purchasing in the US., Trial Registration: The trial design, measures, power calculation, and analytic plan were registered before data collection at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT04223687., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Importance: e-Cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among US youths. Flavors are among the most cited reasons for use of e-cigarettes among youths, and therefore, some states have imposed restrictions on flavored e-cigarette sales. To our knowledge, no study has compared e-cigarette sales between states with statewide flavored e-cigarette restrictions and states without such restrictions while controlling for co-occurring events., Objective: To assess whether implementation of statewide restrictions on flavored e-cigarette sales in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington was associated with a reduction in total e-cigarette unit sales from 2014 to 2020., Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study with difference-in-differences analysis used e-cigarette retail sales data from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington, which implemented restrictions on flavored e-cigarette sales in October 2019; New York, which implemented these restrictions in May 2020; and 35 states without these restrictions (control states). Sales were summed into 4-week periods from August 24, 2014, to December 27, 2020, for a total of 2988 state-period observations., Main Outcomes and Measures: A difference-in-differences analysis was conducted to compare e-cigarette unit sales in the 4 states with flavor restrictions (before and after implementation) with those in the 35 control states. The model controlled for other population-based policies and emergent events (eg, the COVID-19 pandemic). Data on 4-week e-cigarette unit sales were sorted into 4 flavor categories (tobacco, menthol, mint, and other). Unit sales were standardized to reflect the most common package sizes for each product type., Results: Statewide restrictions on non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarette sales were associated with the following reductions in mean 4-week total e-cigarette sales in intervention states compared with control states from October 2019 to December 2020: 30.65% (95% CI, 24.08%-36.66%) in New York, 31.26% (95% CI, 11.94%-46.34%) in Rhode Island, and 25.01% (95% CI, 18.43%-31.05%) in Washington. In Massachusetts, the comprehensive sales prohibition of all e-cigarette products was associated with a 94.38% (95% CI, 93.37%-95.23%) reduction in 4-week sales compared with control states. Except in Massachusetts, where all sales of flavored e-cigarettes decreased, reductions were found only for non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarette sales in the other states with restrictions. Among control states, mean sales decreased by 28.4% from August 2019 to February 2020 but then increased by 49.9% from February through December 2020., Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study, statewide restrictions on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington were associated with a reduction in total e-cigarette sales. These findings suggest that not all e-cigarette users who purchased non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes switched to purchasing tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes after policy implementation.

Sheep meat is an essential element within the multicultural mosaic of Mexican agri-food traditions. A total of 332 consumers were surveyed face-to-face in restaurants specializing in selling traditional sheep meat products. Our results showed that consumers could be segmented based on their perceptions, habits, and preferences towards sheep meat. For consumers, sheep meat is perceived as food with unique sensory attributes, coming from healthier animals than other species and traditional characters. Their willingness to pay extra is subject to the guarantee that the meat is safe, free of hormones and antibiotics, and to a lesser extent, certified organic. The multivariate analysis suggested three clusters or consumer profiles named passive, wholehearted, and deep-rooted, which explained the associations among attitudes, some demographic variables, and consumption frequency. The nascent national sheep meat industry needs to consider these concerns in developing marketing and trust strategies to attract, maintain, and build loyalty among Mexican consumers., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Australian Government will soon be releasing a series of sugar reformulation targets for packaged foods., Objective: To estimate the amount of added sugar purchased from packaged food and beverages and the relative contribution that food categories and food companies made to these purchases in 2018. The secondary objective was to examine differences in purchases of added sugar across income levels., Design: Cross-sectional study., Participants/setting: We used 1 year of grocery purchase data from a nationally representative panel of Australian households (the NielsenIQ Homescan panel), combined with a packaged food and beverage database (FoodSwitch)., Main Outcome Measures: Added sugar purchases (grams per day per capita), purchase-weighted added sugar content (grams per 100 g) and total weight of products (with added sugar) purchased (grams per day per capita)., Statistical Analyses Performed: Food categories and food companies were ranked according to their contribution to added sugar purchases. Differences in added sugar purchases by income levels were assessed by 1-factor analysis of variance., Results: Added sugar information was available from 7188 households and across 26,291 unique foods and beverages. On average, the amount of added sugar acquired from packaged foods and beverages was (mean ± SE) 35.9 ± 0.01 g/d per capita. Low-income households purchased 11.0 g/d (95% CI: 10.9-11.0 g/d, P < .001) more added sugar from packaged products than high-income households per capita. The top 10 food categories accounted for 82.2% of added sugar purchased, largely due to purchases of chocolate and sweets, soft drinks, and ice cream and edible ices. Out of 994 food companies, the top 10 companies contributed to 62.1% of added sugar purchases., Conclusions: The Australian Government can strengthen their proposed sugar reduction program by adding further category-specific targets, prioritizing engagement with key food companies and considering a broader range of policies to reduce added sugar intakes across the Australian population., (Copyright © 2022 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

British supermarket-panel data suggest no increases in overall sales and purchases of alcohol following COVID-19 lockdowns, yet survey and mortality data suggest otherwise. This paper attempts to unravel the paradox. Based on purchase data of 79,417 British households from Kantar Worldpanel, we undertake controlled interrupted time series analysis of the impact of COVID-19 confinement introduced on 23rd March 2020, and variably applied during 2020, compared to purchases during 2015 to 2019 as controls. We also undertook Poisson regression analyses to estimate if changes in purchases differed by household socio-demographic and economic factors. Excess off-trade household alcohol purchases (expressed as grams of ethanol) following the introduction of confinement, were 29.2% higher (95% CI = 25.8% to 32.5%) for the post-confinement months of 2020, being larger until mid-July 2020 (37.5%, 95%CI = 33.9 to 41.26%) when pubs re-opened with restrictions, and smaller (24.6%, 95%CI = 21.6 to 27.7) thereafter. During the time of complete pub closures, and fully adjusting for no on-trade purchases, household purchases of alcohol did not change when compared with the same time period during 2015-2019 (coefficient = -0.9%, 95%CI = -5.6 to 3.8). Excess purchases from 23rd March to 31st December 2020 varied by region of Great Britain, being higher in the north of England, and lower in Scotland and Wales. Excess purchases were greater in the most deprived households, compared with the least deprived households. Excess purchases increased substantially as the amount of alcohol normally purchased by a household increased, with the top one fifth of households that normally bought the most alcohol increasing their purchases more than 17 times than the bottom one fifth of households that bought the least alcohol. That the heaviest buyers of alcohol increased their purchases the most, with some independent impact of socio-economic disadvantage, might explain why reported alcohol problems and recent alcohol-related death rates might have increased. A conclusion of this is that alcohol policy to reduce high consumption of alcohol, and the availability of help and treatment to reduce alcohol consumption become more important during extraordinary times, such as COVID lockdowns., Competing Interests: E.J.L., A.O.’D. and E.K. declare no competing interests and declare no financial relationships with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years. Within the previous five years, P.A. has received financial support from AB InBev Foundation outside the submitted work, which does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Online virtual museum tours combine museum authority and an academic approach with the diversity and interactivity of online resources; such tours have become an essential resource for online scientific research and education. Many important museums around the world are developing this type of online service. Comprehensive evaluation of such tours is, however, urgently needed to ensure effectiveness. This paper establishes a heuristic evaluation scale based on the literature. Taking the online virtual tour of the Exhibition of Architecture of the Forbidden City as a case study, confirmatory factor analysis was then carried out to improve the scale. Interviews were conducted to discuss and analyze the research results. The developed evaluation scale has four dimensions: authenticity, interaction, navigation, and learning. The results from the case study showed, first, that the exhibition had visual authenticity, but the behavioral authenticity was insufficient; second, the exhibition was generally interactive, but this aspect could be improved by enriching the links; third, the lack of effective navigation design for the exhibit was the main factor affecting experience quality. Fourth, the exhibition was informative and supported learning, but needs further improvement to the quantity and quality of information provided. Finally, the interviews revealed that the online exhibition did not entirely support people of different ages and abilities, so it needs further improvement to be wholly inclusive., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

This cross-country study investigates the potential to improve pig welfare by exploiting consumer demand, domestically and in export markets, for welfare pork produced in indoor production systems. The analysis is based on questionnaire data collected in 2019 focusing on demand for Danish welfare pork both in Denmark and in two nearby export markets, Sweden and Germany. To reduce hypothetical bias, a willingness-to-pay indicator is combined with an indicator of positive interest in buying a fictive Danish welfare labelled pork. We find that the market potential is relatively weak. Our findings indicate that there is some, albeit limited, potential in Denmark and Germany while demand is practically non-existing in Sweden, probably because the pig welfare guaranteed by Swedish legislation is similar to what is provided by the fictive welfare label employed in the study. Hence, consumer demand alone cannot secure enhanced pig welfare. Moreover, we found national differences in the characteristics of consumers who are interested in Danish welfare pork., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The existence of dietary inequalities is well-known. Dietary behaviours are impacted by the food environment and are thus likely to follow a spatial pattern. Using 12 months of transaction records for around 50,000 'primary' supermarket loyalty card holders, this study explores fruit and vegetable purchasing at the neighbourhood level across the city of Leeds, England. Determinants of small-area-level fruit and vegetable purchasing were identified using multiple linear regression. Results show that fruit and vegetable purchasing is spatially clustered. Areas purchasing fewer fruit and vegetable portions typically had younger residents, were less affluent, and spent less per month with the retailer.

There is increasing interest in the effect that food environments may have on obesity, particularly through mechanisms related to the marketing and consumption of calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods and sugary beverages. Price promotions, such as temporary price discounts, have been particularly effective in the marketing of carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) among consumers. Research has also suggested that the purchasing behavior of consumer groups may be differentially sensitive to price discounts on CSDs, with obese women particularly sensitive. In addition, the intensity of price discount in a person's food environment may also vary across geography and over time. This study examines whether the weight change of obese women, compared to overweight or normal BMI women, is more sensitive to the intensity of price discounts on CSDs in the food environment. This study used longitudinal survey data from 1622 women in the Montreal Neighborhood Networks and Health Aging (MoNNET-HA) Panel. Women were asked to report their height and weight in 2008, 2010 and 2013 in order to calculate women's BMI in 2008 and their change of weight between 2008 and 2013. Women's exposure to an unhealthy food environment was based on the frequency in which their neighborhood food stores placed price discounts on CSDs in 2008. The price discount frequency on CSDs within women's neighborhoods was calculated from Nielsen point-of sales transaction data in 2008 and geocoded to participant's forward sortation area. The prevalence of obesity and overweight among MoNNET-HA female participants was 18.3% in 2008, 19.9% in 2010 and 20.7% in 2013 respectively. Results showed that among obese women, exposure to unhealthy food environments was associated with a 3.25 kilogram (SE = 1.35, p-value = 0.02) weight gain over the five-year study period. Exposure to price discounts on CSDs may disproportionately affect and reinforce weight gain in women who are already obese., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The triple burden of malnutrition in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is partly a result of changing food environments and a shift from traditional diets to high-calorie Western-style diets. Exploring the relationship between food sources and food- and nutrition-related outcomes is important to understanding how changes in food environments may affect nutrition in LMICs. This study examined associations of household food source with household food insecurity, individual dietary diversity and individual body mass index in Western Kenya. Interview-administered questionnaire and anthropometric data from 493 adults living in 376 randomly-selected households were collected in 2019. Adjusted regression analyses were used to assess the association of food source with measures of food insecurity, dietary diversity and body mass index. Notably, participants that reported rearing domesticated animals for consumption ('own livestock') had lower odds of moderate or severe household food insecurity (odds ratio (OR) = 0.29 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.96)) and those that reported buying food from supermarkets had lower odds of moderate or severe household food insecurity (borderline significant, OR = 0.37 (95% CI: 0.14, 1.00)), increased dietary diversity scores (Poisson coefficient = 0.17 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.24)) and higher odds of achieving minimum dietary diversity (OR = 2.84 (95% CI: 1.79, 4.49)). Our findings provide insight into the relationship between food environments, dietary patterns and nutrition in Kenya, and suggest that interventions that influence household food source may impact the malnutrition burden in this context.

According to the WHO, front-of-pack nutrition labeling provides simplified nutrition information in the form of symbols, colors or words that can help consumers understand the nutritional quality of food, thus leading them to healthier food choices. It is considered of the utmost importance to explore the knowledge and understanding of consumers about this form of nutrition labeling. The aim of this study was to investigate the understanding and perceptions of Greek consumers in response to five different front-of-pack nutrition labels (FoPLs): the Multiple Traffic Lights, Health Star Rating System, Guideline Daily Amounts, Warning Symbols and Nutri-Score. From April 2021 to June 2021, 1278 participants from Greece took part in an online survey where they were asked to rank three products according to their nutritional quality. The classification process was performed first without FoPLs and then with FoPLs. The ability to classify products according to their nutritional quality was evaluated with multinomial logistic regression models, and the Nutri-Score label presented greater improvements when compared to the GDA label for Greek consumers. The Nutri-Score seemed to better help the Greek consumers rank foods according to their nutritional value.

As many U.S. states implemented stay-at-home orders beginning in March 2020, anecdotes reported a surge in alcohol sales, raising concerns about increased alcohol use and associated ills. The surveillance report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism provides monthly U.S. alcohol sales data from a subset of states, allowing an investigation of this potential increase in alcohol use. Meanwhile, anonymized human mobility data released by companies such as SafeGraph enables an examination of the visiting behavior of people to various alcohol outlets such as bars and liquor stores. This study examines changes to alcohol sales and alcohol outlet visits during COVID-19 and their geographic differences across states. We find major increases in the sales of spirits and wine since March 2020, while the sales of beer decreased. We also find moderate increases in people's visits to liquor stores, while their visits to bars and pubs substantially decreased. Noticing a significant correlation between alcohol sales and outlet visits, we use machine learning models to examine their relationship and find evidence in some states for likely panic buying of spirits and wine. Large geographic differences exist across states, with both major increases and decreases in alcohol sales and alcohol outlet visits., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.