Gender Differences of Perceived Fresh Produce Retail Outlet Attributes in Trinidad and Tobago

In the Caribbean there is a dearth of literature on food marketing despite the significant changes taking place in food retailing in many developing countries. Traditionally, food shopping was considered woman’s work. Today a casual stroll in the supermarket or public market will reveal a large number of males undertaking the household food shopping task. This study focuses on the difference in perceived importance of outlet attributes by male and female primary household food shoppers in the context of fresh produce shopping in Trinidad and Tobago. The results obtained indicated that the two most important attributes for both males and females were – cleanliness of place and quality of fresh produce, though in different order of perceived importance. Only two of the twenty attributes analyzed were statistically significant for males and females – presentation of fresh produce and ease of getting to and from the retail outlet. This study makes an attempt to understand purchase behavior as traditional gender roles change and marketers try to develop strategies to better match the contemporary food market in Trinidad and Tobago. Keywords: Gender, Retail outlet attributes, Trinidadian and Tobagonian shoppers, Fresh produc

Purchase Frequency of Roots and Tubers in Trinidad and Tobago.

Many of the non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as obesity, colon cancer, diabetes and heart diseases being experienced in the Caribbean today can be attributed to changing lifestyles and urbanization. Roots and Tubers have been identified as having a beneficial role in the human diet against some of these diseases. Efforts to increase the purchase frequency and ultimately their consumption in the Caribbean with a view of reducing the current food import bill require the input of researchers. This study focuses on the socioeconomic variables that influence the purchase frequency of roots and tubers in Trinidad and Tobago. The results obtained indicated that the statistically significant variables were age, employment status and marital status. It is therefore concluded that income, gender, educational level attained, ethnicity, and household size does not influence the purchase frequency of roots and tubers in Trinidad and Tobago. Keywords: Socio-demographic variables, Trinidadian and Tobagonians, Purchase frequency, Roots and Tuber

Retail Outlet Attributes Influencing Store Choice for Roots and Tubers in Trinidad and Tobago

From a retail outlet perspective, traditionally fresh produce, including Roots and Tuber (R&Ts) was predominantly sold in the public markets and roadside stalls in the Caribbean. Today a casual stroll in the supermarket will reveal the wide array of R&Ts available to consumers. A review of the food marketing literature reveals that though there have been extensive studies undertaken in developed countries on patronage of traditional and modern food retail outlets, there is a dearth of research on the changing food market in the Caribbean and why some people still visit the public markets. This study focuses on the outlet attributes as factors influencing shoppers’ retail outlet choice for R&Ts in Trinidad and Tobago. The results obtained indicated that the traditional outlet is still the preferred outlet for R&Ts. In the opinion of the customers Price of R&Ts, Variety of R&Ts, Quality of R&Ts, Ability to self select R&Ts, Ability to haggle over price, Outlet near home, and Friendliness of sales persons were statistically different and play an important role in the customers’ decision regarding the choice of retail outlet. Keywords: Retail outlet attributes, Retail outlet choice, Roots and Tubers, Traditional outlet, Modern outle

Purchase Frequency of Fresh Fruit in Trinidad and Tobago: A Binary Logit Analysis

The retail sector of many Caribbean countries is being transformed as supermarkets and traditional outlets fight for market share. In Trinidad and Tobago of particular interest in this regard is the proliferation of roadside retailers, especially fruit and vegetable stands. As the Caribbean continues to succumb to the pressure of Non-Communicable Diseases innovative strategies are being sought to rectify the problem. However, very little empirical work appears to be undertaken in fresh fruit retailing. Traditionally, fruit formed a major component of the diets of Caribbean people as they were readily available and in many cases free. Today, things have changed and the consumption of fresh fruits might be strongly linked to purchase ability, education, ethnicity and other demographic factors. This study analyzes the frequency of fresh fruit purchasing by women in Trinidad and Tobago using a Binary Logit Model.  The results of the study show that of the seven demographic variables analyzed, only two were statistically significant "“ age and marital status. The results are helpful as retailers strive for market share and nutritionists and others attempt to reduce the health care costs of the Caribbean countries through the increased consumption of fresh fruit

The Importance of Fresh Fruit Attributes in Trinidad and Tobago in the Purchase Decision of Women

As consumers become more sophisticated their basic requirements change, and issues of product quality and food safety increase in importance while shopping for food and other products. Consumers may no longer be price focused in their purchases. Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) has been transitioning from a low income country to a high income country in the last decade. What attributes are sought by the contemporary T&T female fruit shopper is of vital importance to both Traditional and Modern food retailers. This study attempts to identify the attributes of fresh fruits that are important to female shoppers in the contemporary produce market. The analysis focused on the importance placed on a selected number of fresh fruit attributes in an attempt to identify if they were different between Traditional and Modern outlet shoppers. The results suggest "quality of fruits" is most important to female shoppers, while price ranked 5th in the list. Quality of fruits, appearance of fruits and nutritional value of fruits were statistically different between Traditional and Modern outlet shoppers. Armed with this information retail fresh fruits operators should be better positioned to develop their marketing strategies

High prevalence of hidradenitis suppurativa in patients with perianal fistula

Abstract Background Perianal fistula is an abnormal communication between the anal canal and perianal skin. Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, auto-inflammatory skin disease in the intertriginous body areas, presenting with recurring abscesses, inflammatory nodules, and sinus tracts. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HS in patients with a perianal fistula. Methods All patients with perianal fistula visiting a specialized proctology clinic between July and September 2017 were included and asked a validated diagnostic question for HS. Subsequently, physical examination was performed to objectively assess the diagnosis and relevant patient characteristics. Results In 6.6% (8/122) of patients, HS was diagnosed outside the perianal region. Four of these patients were newly diagnosed. The fistulas in HS patients were classified as a superficial fistula (three), a blind ending fistula (two), and a transsphincteric fistula (two). One patient had more than one type of fistula. Conclusion The prevalence of HS in patients with a perianal fistula is at least 6.6%. This is higher than the prevalence reported in the general European population (1%) suggesting an association between perianal fistulas and HS. We stress the importance to screen for HS in patients with perianal fistulas in order to start appropriate anti-inflammatory treatment to reduce symptoms and disease progression

The anti-inflammatory potency of biologics targeting tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-12/23 and CD20 in hidradenitis suppurativa: an ex vivo study

Background Biologics targeting inflammatory mediators can achieve clinical improvements in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). However, their clinical efficacy shows great interpatient variability in daily practice. Objectives To investigate the anti-inflammatory potency of a selection of currently available biologics and prednisolone for the treatment of HS in an ex vivo skin culture system using lesional HS biopsies. Methods Lesional skin samples from 10 patients with HS and skin samples from five healthy controls were cultured ex vivo and exposed to prednisolone or biologics targeting tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-a, interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-12/23p40 or CD20 (adalimumab, infliximab, secukinumab, ustekinumab and rituximab, respectively). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and cytokine bead arrays were used to measure the inhibitory effect of the biologics on cytokines and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Results The relative mRNA expression o

Can ecosystem-based deep-sea fishing be sustained?

Can there ever be a truly sustainable deep-sea fishery and if so, where and under what conditions? Ecosystembased fisheries management requires that this question be addressed such that habitat, bycatch species, and targeted fish populations are considered together within an ecosystem context. To this end, we convened the first workshop to develop an ecosystem approach to deep-sea fisheries and to ask whether deep-sea species could be fished sustainably. The workshop participants were able to integrate bycatch information into their framework but found it more difficult to integrate other ecosystem indicators such as habitat characteristics. (First two paragraphs from the Executive Summary