scholarly journals Paying for convenience: comparing the cost of takeaway meals with their healthier home-cooked counterparts in New Zealand

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 2269-2276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Mackay ◽  
Stefanie Vandevijvere ◽  
Pei Xie ◽  
Amanda Lee ◽  
Boyd Swinburn
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Preparation Time ◽  
Cost Impact ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Cost Of Time ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Mean Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Cost Differences

AbstractObjectiveConvenience and cost impact on people’s meal decisions. Takeaway and pre-prepared foods save preparation time but may contribute to poorer-quality diets. Analysing the impact of time on relative cost differences between meals of varying convenience contributes to understanding the barrier of time to selecting healthy meals.DesignSix popular New Zealand takeaway meals were identified from two large national surveys and compared with similar, but healthier, home-made and home-assembled meals that met nutrition targets consistent with New Zealand Eating and Activity Guidelines. The cost of each complete meal, cost per kilogram, and confidence intervals of the cost of each meal type were calculated. The time-inclusive cost was calculated by adding waiting or preparation time cost at the minimum wage.SettingA large urban area in New Zealand.ResultsFor five of six popular meals, the mean cost of the home-made and home-assembled meals was cheaper than the takeaway meals. When the cost of time was added, all home-assembled meal options were the cheapest and half of the home-made meals were at least as expensive as the takeaway meals. The home-prepared meals were designed to provide less saturated fat and Na and more vegetables than their takeaway counterparts; however, the home-assembled meals provided more Na than the home-made meals.ConclusionsHealthier home-made and home-assembled meals were, except one, cheaper options than takeaways. When the cost of time was added, either the home-made or the takeaway meal was the most expensive. This research questions whether takeaways are better value than home-prepared meals.

The cost of a general stochastic epidemic

1972 ◽  
Vol 9 (02) ◽  
pp. 257-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gani ◽  
D. Jerwood
Keyword(s):  
Recursive Equation ◽  
Stieltjes Transform ◽  
Stochastic Epidemic ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Mean Cost ◽  
General Stochastic

This paper is concerned with the cost Cis = aWis + bTis (a, b > 0) of a general stochastic epidemic starting with i infectives and s susceptibles; Tis denotes the duration of the epidemic, and Wis the area under the infective curve. The joint Laplace-Stieltjes transform of (Wis, Tis ) is studied, and a recursive equation derived for it. The duration Tis and its mean Nis are considered in some detail, as are also Wis and its mean Mis . Using the results obtained, bounds are found for the mean cost of the epidemic.

scholarly journals Comparison of the costs of HPV testing through community health campaigns versus home-based testing in rural Western Kenya: a microcosting study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. e033979
Author(s):  
Easter Elizabeth Olwanda ◽  
James G Kahn ◽  
Yujung Choi ◽  
Jessica Yasmine Islam ◽  
Megan Huchko
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Capital Goods ◽  
Western Kenya ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Mean Cost

ObjectivesTo estimate the cost of human papillomavirus (HPV)-based screening through community health campaigns (CHCs) and home-based testing.SettingCHCs and home-based testing in six communities in rural Western Kenya.ParticipantsCHCs and home-based screening reached 2297 and 1002 women aged 25–65 years, respectively.Outcome measuresOutcome measures were overall cost per woman screened achieved through the CHCs and home-based testing and the cost per woman for each activity comprising the screening intervention.ResultsThe mean cost per woman screened through CHCs and home-based testing were similar, at $37.7 (range $26.4–$52.0) and $37.1 (range $27.6–$54.0), respectively. For CHCs, personnel represented 49% of overall cost, supplies 25%, services 5% and capital goods 23%. For home-based testing, these were: personnel 73%, supplies 25%, services 1% and capital goods 2%. A greater number of participants was associated with a lower cost per participant.ConclusionsThe mean cost per woman screened is comparable for CHC and home-based testing, with differences in type of input. The CHCs generally reached more eligible women in the six communities, whereas home-based strategies more efficiently reached populations with low screening rates.Trial registration numberNCT02124252.

scholarly journals Addition of Flucytosine to Fluconazole for the Treatment of Cryptococcal Meningitis in Africa: A Multicountry Cost-effectiveness Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinevimbo Shiri ◽  
Angela Loyse ◽  
Lawrence Mwenge ◽  
Tao Chen ◽  
Shabir Lakhi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Cryptococcal Meningitis ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Costing Analysis ◽  
Very High

Abstract Background Mortality from cryptococcal meningitis remains very high in Africa. In the Advancing Cryptococcal Meningitis Treatment for Africa (ACTA) trial, 2 weeks of fluconazole (FLU) plus flucytosine (5FC) was as effective and less costly than 2 weeks of amphotericin-based regimens. However, many African settings treat with FLU monotherapy, and the cost-effectiveness of adding 5FC to FLU is uncertain. Methods The effectiveness and costs of FLU+5FC were taken from ACTA, which included a costing analysis at the Zambian site. The effectiveness of FLU was derived from cohorts of consecutively enrolled patients, managed in respects other than drug therapy, as were participants in ACTA. FLU costs were derived from costs of FLU+5FC in ACTA, by subtracting 5FC drug and monitoring costs. The cost-effectiveness of FLU+5FC vs FLU alone was measured as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). A probabilistic sensitivity analysis assessed uncertainties and a bivariate deterministic sensitivity analysis examined the impact of varying mortality and 5FC drug costs on the ICER. Results The mean costs per patient were US $847 (95% confidence interval [CI] $776–927) for FLU+5FC, and US $628 (95% CI $557–709) for FLU. The 10-week mortality rate was 35.1% (95% CI 28.9–41.7%) with FLU+5FC and 53.8% (95% CI 43.1–64.1%) with FLU. At the current 5FC price of US $1.30 per 500 mg tablet, the ICER of 5FC+FLU versus FLU alone was US $65 (95% CI $28–208) per life-year saved. Reducing the 5FC cost to between US $0.80 and US $0.40 per 500 mg resulted in an ICER between US $44 and US $28 per life-year saved. Conclusions The addition of 5FC to FLU is cost-effective for cryptococcal meningitis treatment in Africa and, if made available widely, could substantially reduce mortality rates among human immunodeficiency virus–infected persons in Africa.

Was India Right in Not Joining RCEP? A Cost–Benefit Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 097492842110477
Author(s):  
Monika Jain
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Trade Diversion ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Trade Creation ◽  
Asean Countries ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

India dropped out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which included the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, China, South Korea, New Zealand, Japan and Australia, after negotiating for almost seven years in November 2018 on the grounds of national interest and also that free trade agreements (FTAs) did not amount to free trade and led to more trade diversion than trade creation. The cost and benefit of a regional agreement depend on the amount of trade creation with respect to trade diversion (Panagriya, 2000). This study tries to examine India’s concerns and at the same time, highlights the cost of not joining RCEP. India’s trade deficit with 11 out of the 15 RCEP nations has been a major cause of concern. Unfavourable trade balance, concerns about the impact on dairy sector, economic slowdown, past experience with FTA’s, China factor, data localisation, rules of origin, the experience of ASEAN countries with Sino-FTA have been some of the reasons behind India’s decision to opt-out of this mega multilateral agreement. Also, bilateral trade agreements with some RCEP countries such as Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and South Korea were operational. A multilateral trade agreement with ASEAN countries was very much in place. So, trade between India and 12 of the RCEP member countries would not have changed much after India’s inclusion in RCEP. The impact of lower tariffs would have been evident for the remaining three countries: China, Australia and New Zealand. Furthermore, there was fear of a massive surge in imports of manufactures from China, dairy imports from Australia and New Zealand. This study also examines the long term impact of this decision and if India has missed out on becoming a part of the global value chain and gaining greater market access in the Asia Pacific region. India’s policy of import substitution and protectionism did not capitulate desired results in the past. Hence, a critical evaluation of India’s decision and some validation on her concerns and fears have been done.

scholarly journals Potato Late Blight in the Columbia Basin: An Economic Analysis of the 1995 Epidemic

Plant Disease ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Johnson ◽  
T. F. Cummings ◽  
P. B. Hamm ◽  
R. C. Rowe ◽  
J. S. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Blight ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Columbia Basin ◽  
Copper Hydroxide ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
Late Season ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Mean Cost ◽  
First Time

The cost of managing late blight in potatoes during a severe epidemic caused by new, aggressive strains of Phytophthora infestans in the Columbia Basin of Washington and Oregon in 1995 was documented. The mean number of fungicide applications per field varied from 5.1 to 6.3 for early- and midseason potatoes, and from 8.2 to 12.3 for late-season potatoes in the northern and southern Columbia Basin, respectively. In 1994, a year when late blight was not severe, the mean number of fungicide applications per field made to early- and midseason potatoes was 2.0; whereas late-season potatoes received a mean of 2.5 applications. The mean per acre cost of individual fungicides applied varied from $4.90 for copper hydroxide to $36.00 for propamocarb + chlorothalonil. Total per acre expenses (application costs plus fungicide material) for protecting the crop from late blight during 1995 ranged from $106.77 to $110.08 for early and midseason potatoes in different regions of the Columbia Basin and from $149.30 to $226.75 for lateseason potatoes in the northern and southern Columbia Basin, respectively. Approximately 28% of the crop was chemically desiccated before harvest as a disease management practice for the first time in 1995, resulting in an additional mean cost of $34.48/acre or $1.3 million for the region. Harvested yields were 4 to 6% less than in 1994. The total cost of managing late blight in the Columbia Basin in 1995 is estimated to have approached $30 million.

scholarly journals Cost Minimisation Study of the Impact of Generic Drugs on Glaucoma Management: 1-year Indian Experience

1970 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 192-196
Author(s):  
Devindra Sood ◽  
Alka Pandey ◽  
Rajeev Sood ◽  
Nagesh Gupta ◽  
Ravinder Kumar Bajaj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Generic Drugs ◽  
Open Angle Glaucoma ◽  
Eye Drops ◽  
Brand Name ◽  
Cost Difference ◽  
Medication Costs ◽  
Generic Medications ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Aim: To study the medication costs of various topical glaucoma medications using data collected from real world use by patients.Methods: Patients with primary open angle glaucoma treated at glaucoma clinics in 5 hospitals (1 rural and 4 urban) in northern India from 1 January to 30 June 2008 were enrolled. The number of days each bottle of medication lasted was recorded, and the mean cost per day was computed from the maximum retail price and mean number of days each medication lasted.Results: 790 of 801 eligible patients completed the study. The mean number of days that a bottle of medication lasted was found to be highest for Xalatan® and Xalacom® at 35.23 days and 35.00 days, respectively. The brand name prostaglandin analogues all lasted for a mean of more than 30 days: Xalatan, 35.23 days (SD, 4.14 days); Lumigan®, 31.37 days (SD, 5.31 days); and Travatan®, 34.84 days (SD, 6.51 days), while the generic eye drops lasted for about 21 days: latanoprost, 20.69 days (SD, 3.69 days) and bimatoprost, 21.39 days (SD, 4.34 days). The cost of the generic medication was less than the brand name medication in all groups (for example, bimatoprost, Indian rupees 9.76 versus Indian rupees 12.33) except for brimonidine/timolol (Indian rupees 8.73 versus Indian rupees 8.66). Further analysis in 2009 showed that, for latanoprost, brimonidine and brimonidine/timolol, the difference between the brand name and generic medications decreased in 2009 over 2008 (in the latanoprost group, the cost difference over the year reduced from Indian rupees 592 in 2008 to Indian rupees 523 in 2009); the cost difference for bimatoprost increased from 2008 to 2009.Conclusion: When both cost and number of days a bottle lasts were considered over the long term, use of generic medications might not minimise the cost of glaucoma medical management by much when compared with the brand name medication.

scholarly journals Lowering drug prices and enhancing pharmaceutical affordability: an analysis of the national volume-based procurement (NVBP) effect in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. e005519
Author(s):  
Jing Yuan ◽  
Z Kevin Lu ◽  
Xiaomo Xiong ◽  
Bin Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Multifaceted Approach ◽  
Pilot Programme ◽  
Drug Prices ◽  
Insurance Programme ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Lowering Drug ◽  
Daily Wage ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health Insurance Programme

To cope with the increasing healthcare costs brought about by the universal health insurance programme, national volume-based procurement (NVBP) was implemented in China to reduce drug prices. However, the impact of NVBP remains unknown. We reported the effects of the NVBP pilot programme on medication affordability and discussed the challenges and recommendations for further reforms. A total of 25 molecules won the bidding in the NVBP pilot programme, and price cuts ranged from 25% to 96%. Medication affordability was measured as the number of days’ wages needed to pay for a course of treatment, and the medication was identified as affordable if the cost of a treatment course was less than the average daily wage. After the NVBP, the proportion of affordable drugs increased from 33% to 67%, and the mean affordability improved from 8.2 days’ wages to 2.8 days’ wages. Specifically, for rural residents, the proportion of affordable drugs increased from 13% to 58%, and the mean affordability improved from 15.7 days’ wages to 5.3 days’ wages. For urban residents, the proportion of affordable drugs increased from 54% to 71%, and the mean affordability improved from 5.9 days’ wages to 2.0 days’ wages. Implementing the NVBP substantially improved medication affordability. In future reforms, a multifaceted approach addressing all issues in the health system is needed to enhance medicine access.

An Economic Evaluation of a Community-Based Organization Led HIV Self-Testing Program Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanzi Huang ◽  
Jason Ong ◽  
Wencan Dai ◽  
Xi He ◽  
Yi Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Variable Cost ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Self Testing ◽  
Hiv Test ◽  
Community Based Organization ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Mean Cost

Abstract Introduction: HIV self-testing (HIVST) is effective in improving the uptake of HIV testing among key populations. Complementary data on the cost-effectiveness of HIVST is critical for planning and scaling up HIVST. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a community-based organization (CBO)-led HIVST model implemented in China. Method: A cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) was conducted by comparing a CBO-led HIVST model with a CBO-led facility-based HIV rapid diagnostics testing (HIV-RDT) model. The full economic cost, including fixed and variable cost, from a health provider perspective using a micro costing approach was estimated. We determined the cost-effectiveness of these two HIV testing models over a two year time horizon (i.e. duration of the programs), and reported costs using US dollars (2020). Results: From January 2017 to December 2018, a total of 4,633 men tested in the HIVST model, and 1,780 men tested in the HIV-RDT model. The total number of new diagnosis was 155 for HIVST and 126 for the HIV-RDT model; the HIV test positivity was 3.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.8-3.9) for the HIVST model and 7.1% (95% CI: 5.9-8.4) for the HIV-RDT model. The mean cost per person tested was $14.57 for HIVST and $24.74 for HIV-RDT. However, the mean cost per diagnosed was higher for HIVST ($435.52) compared with $349.44 for HIV-RDT.Conclusion: Our study confirms that compared to facility-based HIV-RDT, a community-based organization led HIVST program could have a cheaper mean cost per MSM tested for HIV in China. Better targeting of high-risk individuals would further improve the cost-effectiveness of HIVST.

scholarly journals Costs of care provided in a university hospital for children exposed to or infected with the HIV/AIDS

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (suppl 3) ◽  
pp. S402-S413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heloisa Helena de Sousa Marques ◽  
Bernard François Couttolenc ◽  
Maria do Rosário Dias de Oliveira Latorre ◽  
Maria Zilda de Aquino ◽  
Maria Ignez Garcia Aveiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Records ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
Cost Of Treatment ◽  
Costs Of Treatment ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Cost Accounting System ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Mean Cost ◽  
Hiv Aids

The objective of this study was to estimate and analyze the costs of treating children with HIV/AIDS at a university hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. The study collected and analyzed data from 291 medical records of children treated at the hospital as of March 2002. The costs of treatment were estimated for each category of patient (exposed and infected) and severity, based on the quantity of inputs and procedures used in treating each child, based on the cost accounting system used at the hospital. The total cost of treatment for children exposed to the HIV was R$ 956.41 and for those infected with HIV R$ 8,092.71 per year. The mean cost of ambulatory care was R$ 6,047.28 for children with severe conditions, R$ 3,714.45 for those with light/moderate conditions, and R$ 948.63 for the exposed. Hospitalized children had annual costs of R$ 19,353.34, R$ 18,823.16, and R$ 871.03, respectively. The medication was a major factor in the cost of treatment. Our estimates are comparable to the findings from other studies, but lower than corresponding findings from the international literature.

scholarly journals The economics of altruistic punishment and the maintenance of cooperation

2008 ◽  
Vol 275 (1637) ◽  
pp. 871-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn Egas ◽  
Arno Riedl
Keyword(s):  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
Altruistic Punishment ◽  
Cost Impact ◽  
The Social ◽  
Subject Pool ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Cognitive Cost

Explaining the evolution and maintenance of cooperation among unrelated individuals is one of the fundamental problems in biology and the social sciences. Recent findings suggest that altruistic punishment is an important mechanism maintaining cooperation among humans. We experimentally explore the boundaries of altruistic punishment to maintain cooperation by varying both the cost and the impact of punishment, using an exceptionally extensive subject pool. Our results show that cooperation is only maintained if conditions for altruistic punishment are relatively favourable: low cost for the punisher and high impact on the punished. Our results indicate that punishment is strongly governed by its cost-to-impact ratio and that its effect on cooperation can be pinned down to one single variable: the threshold level of free-riding that goes unpunished. Additionally, actual pay-offs are the lowest when altruistic punishment maintains cooperation, because the pay-off destroyed through punishment exceeds the gains from increased cooperation. Our results are consistent with the interpretation that punishment decisions come from an amalgam of emotional response and cognitive cost–impact analysis and suggest that altruistic punishment alone can hardly maintain cooperation under multi-level natural selection. Uncovering the workings of altruistic punishment as has been done here is important because it helps predicting under which conditions altruistic punishment is expected to maintain cooperation.

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