Assessment of the Cost of the Mediterranean Diet in a Low-Income Region: Adherence and Relationship with Available Incomes

Background The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is recognized as heart-healthy, but the economic cost associated with this type of diet has scarcely been studied. The objective of the present study is to explore the cost and adherence of a low-income region population to the MD and its relationship with income. Methods A population-based study was carried out on 2,833 subjects between 25 and 79 years of age, 54% women, selected at random from the municipalities of Vegas Altas, La Siberia and La Serena in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura (Spain). Average monthly cost of each product included in the MD was computed and related to adherence to the MD using the Panagiotakos Index and average disposable income. Results The monthly median cost was 203.6€ (IQR: 154.04-265.37). Food-related expenditure was higher for men (p<0.001), age cohort between 45 and 54 years (p<0.013) and those living in urban areas (p<0.001). A positive correlation between food-related expenditure and the MD adherence was found. Monthly median cost represents 15% of average disposable income, ranging between 11% for the group with low MD adherence and 17% for the group with high MD adherence. Conclusions The monthly cost of the MD was positively correlated with the degree of adherence to this dietary pattern. Given that the estimated monthly cost is similar to that of other Spanish regions with a higher income level, the economic effort required to be able to afford the Mediterranean diet is higher. This may represent a barrier to access, which should be analyzed in detail by public decision-makers.

Preference of Virtual Reality Game in Psychological Pressure and Depression Prevention: A Discrete Choice Experiment (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) can be used to build many different scenes aimed at reducing study-related stress. However, few academic experiments about university students for preference testing have been done. Our study aimed to assess the preference of VR games for stress and depression prevention by using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). OBJECTIVE The candidate could wear the headset and alleviate the stress and depression in the game. The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the preference of VR technology in college students’ psychological pressure relief and depression prevention. METHODS Five different attributes were selected based on the depression therapy parameter and attributes about VR: (1) treatment modality, (2) therapy duration, (3) perceived remission rate, (4) probability of adverse events, and the (5) monthly cost of adding treatment to a discrete choice experiment. By comparing different attributes and levels, we could draw some conclusions about the depression therapy testing preference for university students. One university student was responsible for VR scene development and one for candidate recruitment. RESULTS The utility report of different attributes for “zero” probability of adverse events was higher than others (99.22), and the VR treatment as the most popular treatment method when compared with counseling and medicine treatment was 80.95. Three parameter aspects (different treatments for depression) were statistically significant (P＜0.001), including “0%” and “50%” of “Probability of adverse events” and “RMB$500” of “The monthly cost of treatment”. Most individuals preferred 12 months as the therapy duration, and the odds ratio of “12 months” was 1.095 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.945–1.270) when compared with the reference of level of “6 months”. Meanwhile, the cheapest price (RMB $500) of depression therapy was the optimum choice for most students. CONCLUSIONS People placed great preference on VR technology psychological intervention methods, which indicates that VR may have a potential market in prevention and treatment of psychological problems. However, adverse events and treatment costs need to be considered. This study can be used to guide policies that are relevant to the development of application of VR technology in the field of psychological pressure and depression prevention. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-doi:10.2196/29375

Green Building Concept Application with VRF Air Conditioning System

The objective of this research is to find out the benefit of the Green Building Concept application with VRF Air Conditioning System at Indonesian Computer University. The research method used is descriptive quantitative analysis. Based on research findings, the VRF air conditioning system in Indonesian Computer University could reduce electrical power usage and the monthly cost for electrical power. However, the payback can only be reached after 15 years of operation. The other benefits are the space efficiency for more flexible placement of the outdoor unit and did not decrease the building's aesthetic appearance.

Prediction of the monthly cost of energy usage by PEMFC at housing in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia

The development of renewable energy is increasing nowadays. Besides, the development of energy conversion systems that can work at high efficiency also increases along with the decreasing availability of fossil energy. The fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts chemical reaction energy directly into direct current electrical energy. The use of fuel cells as power generating in housing has also increased rapidly, especially in developed countries. This study aims to develop a model and simulation for the Polymer Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) system with a working temperature of 165 °C) using Aspen Plus simulation. In this analysis, the model and simulation developed are used to predict the amount of fuel needed when used in housing as an electricity generator and obtain a monetary value for the monthly fuel procurement. The PEMFC system is designed to generate power up to 0.60 kW by consuming hydrogen fuel with a current density of 0.02 A/cm2. The hydrogen consumed by the PEMFC system is around 0.030 kg/hour, with a monthly cost of hydrogen consumption by the system is Rp. 2,052,000. Meanwhile, the monthly electricity from the national grid (PLN) bill costs around Rp. 569,261 (in the year 2019). In comparing the energy bill, at the moment, the fuel cost for PEMFC as a power generation system is much more expensive than PLN’s electricity consumption costs due to the high hydrogen fuel cost.

Evaluation of the mediterranean diet cost in Extremadura: adherence and relationship with available income

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Carlos III Health Institute - Spain Background Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in developed countries. In this context, the Mediterranean diet (MD) is widely recognized as cardioprotective, although its implementation cost has been little studied and rarely employed as an argument for debate. Although previous Spanish studies have corroborated a higher monetary cost associated with increased adherence to the MD, there exist large disparities among studies, and none of them has related the cost of MD to available income, which is highly relevant for assessing the degree of affordability by families. Purpose The aim of this study is twofold. First, to estimate the cost and degree of adherence of the MD in a population of Extremadura. Second, to provide evidence on the cost of the MD in relation to available incomes. Methods A population study including 2.833 subjects between 25 and 79 years old (54% women), randomly selected from Don Benito-Villanueva de la Serena (Badajoz, Spain). Diet questionnaire contained 175 food items and 7 items related to alcoholic beverages. Consumption frequencies were translated in terms of grams or millilitres. Price for each item was obtained using price supermarket comparators from the same geographical area. Total monthly cost was obtained using monthly quantities consumed and the price of each category. Final cost was related to Panagiotakos adherence degree and to available income. Data of available income was obtained from the Income Tax Statistics by municipality. Results Median monthly cost was EUR 203.63 (IQR 154.04-265.37): 216.91 for men and 191.22 for women. Median monthly cost per age cohort showed an inverted U-shape, with a maximum in the 45-54 years-old cohort (EUR 212.1; IQR 155.47-274.63) and a minimum for the 75-79 years-old cohort (EUR 179; IQR 130.21-224.99). Median monthly cost was very similar for primary, secondary and higher educational levels (208.18, 206.57 and 205.70, respectively), but 14% lower for those without primary studies. MD cost was lower in rural compared with urban areas (188 versus 223 euros, respectively) The percentage of population showing a high MD adherence was 59% whereas the percentage with a low adherence was 12%. The cost associated with a high MD adherence was EUR 228.38. The average cost represents 14% of the available income, ranging from 10.5% for the group with low MD adherence, to 15.72% for the group with a high adherence. Conclusions Higher adherence to the MD can reach almost 20% of the available income. This can lead to low-income families opting for cheaper, energy-dense, and consequently, less healthy dietary patterns. Emphasis should be placed on education strategies to recreate the MD at an affordable price or to introduce changes to consumer taxes (VAT) that favor DM pattern.

Analysis of acquisition and the monthly cost of antihypertensive therapy with modern fixed-dose combinations in the Far Eastern Federal District

Objective: analyzing the acquisition and monthly costs for patients on modern fixed-dose antihypertensive combinations in three regions of the Far Eastern Federal District.Material and methods. Intra-group analysis of retail of antihypertensive drugs for 2019 in drugstores of the Khabarovsk Region, Sakhalin Region, Amur Region (n=100) was carried out. The calculation of the monthly cost of therapy was performed and total sales indicators were identified. Statistical analysis: dispersion analysis, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, Kruskal–Wallis test.Results. The maximum demand in patients among combinations of -blockers in the price range of 100-500 rubles: atenolol+chlortalidone; bisoprolol+amlodipine. In the grope of combinations of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors with diuretics/calcium channel blockers, the most often acquired were: perindopril/ramipril+indapamide/amlodipine, enalapril+hydrochlorothiazide – in the price segment of 500–1000 rubles. Preferences for the use of combinations of angiotensin II receptor blockers+diuretic/calcium channel blockers: valsartan+amlodipine with a monthly cost of therapy of 300–500 rubles; losartan+hydrochlorothiazide – 100–500 rubles and azilsartan+chlortalidonee – 500–1000 rubles. The most popular three-component drugs were valsartan+amlodipine+hydrochlorothiazide, perindopril+amlodipine+indapamide with a monthly cost over 500 rubles. Differences in the acquisition structure of fixed-dose antihypertensive combinations between regions were statistically significant.Conclusion. The share of sales of combined antihypertensive drugs remains insignificant. The main selection criteria within an international nonproprietary name are affordability or trust in a brand. The presence of a reliable correlation of the acquisition structure with the region proves the influence of regional preferences of specialists in drug prescribing.

Raw Material Analysis control of SMBE Slipper Producer using Economic Order Quantity

The growth of small-medium business enterprise in Indonesia is getting faster in decade, including small-medium business enterprise who produce slippers. SISCO is one of small-medium business enterprise who produce slipper. They must keep tight with market requirement. The supply of raw materials in a small-medium business enterprise is one of the important during production process. In some case their products are mismatch number from market demand. It can be worse if there a mismatch between raw materials ordering schedule from supplier and market demand from consumers. One of this problem requires Economic Order Quantity method as a solution, because during slippers production we have to order from supplier. Inventories are materials stored as raw materials, then they processed be finish product. To find out inventory, one of the inventory models used is the economic order quantity model. This method seeks to achieve the minimum possibility of inventory levels and lower costs and better quality. Economic Order Quantity method calculation based on raw material inventory control in SISCO slipper brand. Optimum monthly cost is IDR 5.293.541,03 to meet supply materials.

Optimization of the average monthly cost of an EOQ inventory model for deteriorating items in machine learning using PYTHON

In many stock disintegration issues of the real world, the decay pace of certain things might be influenced by other contiguous things. Depending on the situation, the influence of weakened items can be reduced by eliminating them through examination. We specify a model that impacts the average monthly cost, and the non-linear programming Lagrangian method is solved the specified model. The fuzzify inventory model is used to determine the lowest cost by employing a trapezoidal fuzzy number, and the defuzzification process is performed using the graded mean integration representation method. To test the model, we created a CSV file, used PYTHON (version 3.8.5), we developed a program to predict the economic order quantity and total cost.

An Empirical Study on the Demand Analysis of 0 - 3-Year-Old Infants’ Care Service in China—Based on a Survey in Province G

The study adopts the self-made questionnaire of 0 - 3-year-old children’s demand for child care, investigating 6564 families with 0 - 3-year-old children in G province by means of cluster probability sampling. The survey shows that most parents’ willingness to care is not strong, and the acceptable monthly cost of care is mainly within 2000 Yuan. The main reason for choosing care is to let children receive professional care and education. The main reasons for not choosing nursery are that families can take care of themselves; parents are most concerned about the safety of nursery institutions and the professionalism of the staff; they prefer to choose public nursery institutions. Therefore, we should actively construct a multi-level and multi-level care service system to better meet the demand of care services of 0 - 3-year-old infants.