Parametric and Non-Parametric Analysis of the Role of Economic Factors on Obesity Prevalence in Spain

Health Economics and Policy,

The Determinants of Survival of Spanish Consumers Fronting the BSE Crisis

The impact of food scares on meat consumption has been traditionally investigated by estimating food demand systems using aggregated time series. Only a few have considered micro data but none of them has tried to quantify consumers’ reaction to food scares and the speed of such reactions. In this study we apply duration analysis techniques with the aim of analysing the effect of different explanatory variables on both the risk of reducing beef consumption and the timing of this reduction. Our results suggest that the maximum hazard occurs during the few months after the occurrence of the food crisis and then the reducing consumption hazard tend to diminish. Moreover, economic factors such as prices and income could be considered as the most determinant factors of the survival of the Spanish consumers facing the BSE crisis while other socioeconomic characteristics such as the age, the gender, etc., have a small, if any, effect on the occurrence and the speed of beef consumption reduction indicating a quite homogenous reaction among Spanish consumers to BSE crisis. These results provide interesting insights about how policy makers could orientate food policies in order to recover consumption after a food scare.Food scare, BSE, duration analysis, reaction timing, Spain, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Livestock Production/Industries, C41, D1,

The Impact of Avian Influenza on Vertical Price Transmission in the Egyptian Poultry Sector

In recent years, health risks have received increasing attention among consumers and created interest in analysing the relationship between food scares, food consumption and market prices. One of the most relevant and recent food scares is the avian influenza that has had important effects not only on human and animal health, but also on the economy. We assess effects of avian influenza on price transmission along the Egyptian poultry marketing chain. Although Egypt has been one of the most affected countries by avian influenza, this article is the first attempt to understand this food scare’s impacts on Egyptian poultry markets. In doing so, a multivariate smooth transition vector error correction model (STVECM) is applied to monthly poultry price data. In order to reflect consumer awareness of the crisis, an avian influenza food scare information index is developed and used within the model as a transition variable. Our results suggest that price adjustments to deviations from the market equilibrium parity depend on the magnitude of the avian influenza crisis. Results also suggest that food safety information indices, that have been widely used to assess the economic impacts of food scare crises in developed countries, also contribute to understanding the economic effects of food scare crises in developing countries.Food scare, avian influenza, price transmission, Egypt., Production Economics, C22, Q13,

Influence of Carriageway Width and Horizontal Curve Radius on Passenger Car Unit Values of Two-lane Two-way Rural Roads

Capacity is a central concept in design and operation of roadways. Studying roadway capacity and factors affecting this capacity is an important issue when transportation facilities are designed or upgraded. One of the main components for the estimation of roadway capacity is the passenger car unit (PCU). The main objective of this paper is to study the influence of different geometric features of tangent and curved elements on PCU values on two-lane two-way rural roads. Geometry and traffic data were collected from six sites located on Benisuif-Assiut Agricultural Road, Egypt. Each site was composed of two elements; a straight element (tangent) and a succeeding horizontal curve. PCU values were estimated using the speed-area method. Using regression analysis, different models were developed to model the influences of different geometric features on PCU values. The results show that the PCU values for different vehicle categories increase linearly with increase of carriageway width and horizontal curve radius. This increase is clearly observed in case of heavy vehicles rather than light vehicles. The resulting models are useful in optimizing geometric design on two-lane two-way highways from the capacity point of view in the preliminary design stage. Keywords: Passenger car unit, passenger car equivalent, capacity, two-lane two-way rural highway

Parametric and non-parametric analysis of the role of economic factors on obesity prevalence in Spain

Postprint (published version

Determinants of the survival of Spanish consumers fronting the BSE crisis

Postprint (published version

Food safety information and meat demand in Spain

Postprint (published version

Influencia del Índice de Masa Corporal y la actividad física en el comportamiento alimentario de los consumidores españoles

A pesar de que existe una prevalencia de la obesidad en todo el mundo y una incuestionable relación entre ésta y el consumo de alimentos (sobre todo alimentos ricos en azúcares y grasas), pocos estudios han investigado esta correlación. La mayoría de los estudios han abordado la influencia del comportamiento alimentario en la prevalencia de obesidad, mientras en este estudio se aplica un enfoque novedoso de analizar hasta qué punto influye el Índice de Masa Corporal en el comportamiento alimentario de los consumidores. En este estudio, se estimó un Sistema de Demanda Generalizado Casi Ideal (Generalised Almost Ideal Demand System_GAIDS) para analizar el efecto del Índice de Masa Corporal sobre el consumo de los diferentes grupos de alimentos. Los resultados sugieren que el mismo parece no tener un efecto significativo en el patrón de consumo de los principales grupos de alimentos en España. Sin embargo, parece haber algunas diferencias en el que tiene sobre el consumo de alimentos entre los consumidores obesos y no obesos. Además, se detectaron ciertas diferencias entre los consumidores que hacen regularmente el ejercicio físico y los que no lo hacen

A UK-based cost-utility analysis of indacaterol, a once-daily maintenance bronchodilator for patients with COPD, using real world evidence on resource use

Peer reviewedPublisher PD