Changing Consumer Buying Habits in Developing Countries: A Disaggregate Demand Analysis for Fruits and Vegetables in Vietnam

Food systems in developing countries are currently undergoing a rapid transformation, with important implications for local farmers, wholesalers, and retailers. While supply side aspects of this transformation have been analyzed previously, issues of consumer demand have received much less attention. This paper analyzes changing consumption habits for fresh fruits and vegetables in Vietnam, using household survey data and a demand systems approach. Demand for products from modern supply chains particularly modern retailers and non-traditional imports is highly income elastic. Also, supermarket expansion impacts on consumer demand. This implies a continued restructuring of the food sector in the further process of economic development.transformation of food systems, supermarkets, food safety, non-traditional imports, South-East Asia, Vietnam, Demand and Price Analysis,

Health Resilience: Concept and Empirical Evidence to Reduce Health Inequalities among the Elderly

In the face of persistent health inequalities in later life, the objective of the study is to examine whether distinct forms of health lifestyles and individual or collective social capital predict the probability of health resilience among a cohort of men and women aged 65 and older from lower social classes. A longitudinal study design based on four waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel (2002 to 2008) was employed. The study cohort included 2,075 participants. Analyses were performed using hierarchical-linear models, cluster analyses and binary logistic regressions. The main outcome measures were health-related quality of life, based on a modified SF12, and a dichotomised measure for health resilience based on the SF12 scores. A social gradient was observed for the physical health of men and for the mental health of women, respectively, with participants from lower social classes reporting lesser scores of health-related quality of life compared to participants with higher socioeconomic status. Regarding the physical resilience of elderly men, a moderate health conscious lifestyle was the most pronounced predictor (OR=9.5, p<0.1%). Social capital did not elevate the probability of physical resilience among men. Mental resilience of women was strongly associated with a health conscious lifestyle as well as a moderate health risky lifestyle (OR=4.2, p<0.1% in each case). Quantitative aspects of social capital, like an above average number of friends and close relatives, were positively associated with mental resilience of elderly women (OR=1.9, p<0.1% and OR=1.3, p<5%, respectively). The data provides evidence that health conscious as well as moderate health risky lifestyles and quantitative aspects of individual social capital serve as protective factors for health resilience among older men and women with low socioeconomic status. The findings could be used as guidelines to promote health resilience among the elderly in lower social classes and thus to reduce health inequalities in later life

Computer-Assisted Content Analysis

"This paper provides an overview of the current state of the art in computer-assisted content analysis (CACA). First, background, history and a model of CACA will be given, the dichotomy of qualitative versus quantitative is addressed, and a new understanding, the 'marker view' leading to a more general Text Analysis is introduced. Subsequent chapters provide a definition of terms and cover issues of size of scoring units, and the development of computerized coding to replace well established manual rating systems. The paper concludes with the description of a recently developed computer-assisted text analysis methodology to describe psychotherapeutic processes." (author's abstract

Caregiver-Child Mental Health Associations In Peshawar, Pakistan And Kabul, Afghanistan

Objective: To assess the impact of caregiver mental health on child mental health in two samples of Afghan families living in Peshawar, Pakistan and Kabul, Afghanistan. Methods: Using stratified random-sampling in five schools throughout seven refugee camps located in Peshawar, Pakistan, mental health and life events of 319 11-to 16-year old students (n=161 boys, 158 girls) and their caregivers (n=319) were evaluated in 2005 cross-sectional study. Self- and caregiver- rated child mental health (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire), depressive (Depression Self-Rating Scale), and posttraumatic stress (Child Revised Impact of Events Scale) symptoms and caregiver mental health (Self-Report Questionnaire) were assessed. Past-year traumatic exposures were also assessed. These data from Peshawar were contrasted against mental health data collected from another cross-sectional sample of 364 11- to 16-year old students (n = 180 boys, 184 girls) and their caregivers (n=364) living in nine school districts of Kabul, Afghanistan in 2006. Results: Caregiver mental health as measured by SRQ-20 scores was significantly associated with the full spectrum of child mental health outcomes, but more so in Kabul than in Peshawar. Caregiver SRQ-20 scores were also associated with greater child mental health burdens significantly more so in Kabul than in Peshawar. Several gender differences were observed in Peshawar (more boys had PTSD than girls, p-value 0.0231), but in Kabul there were no significant gender differences

Hedonische Analyse von Milchpreisen auf Einzelhandelsebene: Qualitäts-, Siegel- und Markeneffekte

Trinkmilch wird auf der Einzelhandelsebene zunehmend als Produktkategorie zur Differenzierung  verwendet. Ein hedonisches Preismodell mit einem Datensatz von 362 Preisbeobachtungen aus 46 lokalen Einzelhandelsmärkten und Online-Stores wird verwendet, um Preiseffekte verschiedener Qualitätsfaktoren, Labels und Marken zu schätzen. Weidemilch und Biomilch haben signifikante positive Preiseffekte, wenn andere Faktoren isoliert werden. Die Label-Effekte sind deutlich niedriger als Markeneffekte. Siegel müssen stärker mit den Instrumenten einer erfolgreichen Markenpolitik geführt werden, um ihren Preiseinfluss zu erhöhen

Hahnenküken von Legehühnern sollen leben! Und was machen wir dann mit den Hähnen? Zahlungsbereitschaft für Hahnenfleischprodukte unter Berücksichtigung des Informations-Framings

Eine angemessene Zahlungsbereitschaft für Fleischerzeugnisse von Legehybrid- oder Zweinutzungshähnen ist ein wichtiger Aspekt, um diese innovativen Konzepte der Legehennenhaltung wirtschaftlich tragfähig zu machen. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die Auswirkung von Informations-Framing auf die Zahlungsbereitschaft für Fleischprodukte dieser Hähne. Das multiple lineare Regressionsmodell zeigt, dass sich ein hedonistisches Framing signifikant positiv auf die Zahlungsbereitschaft der VerbraucherInnen auswirkt. Im Gegensatz dazu beeinflussen die Einstellungen der VerbraucherInnen zur Tötung der Eintagsküken die Zahlungsbereitschaft nicht

Attitude changes through speed-dating conversations between farmers and citizens

Alienation between farmers and citizens has increased with agriculture’s intensification and specialization infood supply-chains. More direct and equal dialogue formats are called for. Our research aim is to analyze towhat extent a specifically designed dialogue format contributes to attitude changes among farmers and citi-zens. In a speed-dating format between farmers and citizens short conversations were organized. Attitudeswere measured before and after the conversations. Fact-based and personal statements within the conversa-tion were identified by quantitative content analysis. Our results indicate that the mid-term effect of speed-dating induced attitude changes was influenced more by fact-based aspects and less by personal aspects.Keywords: speed-dating, farmer-citizen-dialogue, attitude change, dyadic communication, trust buildin

Personality traits of German livestock farmers: Are there differences according to the production system?

Decisions made by farmers can have large influences beyond the farm boundary because farmers are the firstlink in the food supply chain. For this reason, understanding their decision-making behaviour may be of interestto all stakeholders of food systems. Since there is considerable evidence that personality traits may affectdecision-making behaviour, this paper investigates personality traits according to the HEXACO model ofpersonality in a sample of 244 German livestock farmers. Our results indicate that livestock farmers differ intheir personality from the general population, with farmers scoring higher on honesty-humility,conscientiousness and being more emotionally stable. Comparisons within the farmer sample show thatorganic livestock farmers score higher on Openness than conventional farmers. However, the results of aconfirmatory factor analysis suggest that the German version of the short item scale used to measure thepersonality traits of the sample should be partially modified. Even though our results should therefore beunderstood rather as first indications and a basis for further research, they could help to better align supportstrategies, e.g. for more animal-friendly production, with the personality traits of farmers

Strategic trend forecasting: anticipating the future with artificial intelligence

Could machines do better than humans at spotting events so far considered unpredictable, such as the COVID-19 pandemic? Jim Marshall and Stephan Mergenthaler have been using natural language-understanding technology to detect trends—and analyse them at depth. They write that this type of analysis is an important foundation for people to better anticipate the future and prepare for it