Analysis of Factors Influencing Household Preference Level for Seafood in Southwest Nigeria

Seafood is known worldwide as a very important component of human diet because of its high nutritive value and significance in improving human health. The study examines the factors influencing households’ preference level for seafood and determines the factors inducing the choice of seafood consumption by households in Southwest Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 300 households in Oyo and Lagos States, Southwest Nigeria. Ordered probit regression model was used to examine the factors influencing household preference level for seafood and multinomial logistic model was used to determine the factors inducing the choice of seafood consumed by the households in the study area. The ordered probit model estimation results revealed that access to seafood within 1km – 4km was significant at 5% and positively relates to household preference for seafood. Increase in income of the household will increase the likelihood of having high preference for seafood (14.39%) by the respondents in the study area. Multinomial logistic model results revealed that the education level of the respondents influenced the choice of croaker fish by 12.01% relative to shrimp in the study area. Therefore, the study recommends that seafood marketers should ensure a good distribution network that will enhance its accessibility within one and four kilometers in the study area.

Analysis of External Debt Sustainability in Mongolia: An Estimated DSGE Approach

In this study, we assess the effects of the structural shocks on the external debt sustainability in Mongolia, based on an estimated small open economy (SOE) dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model with the traded, the non-traded, and the mining sectors. The impulse response results show that the traded sector’s productivity shock, the commodity price shock, the mining output shock, and the foreign interest-rate shock have a decreasing effect on external debt accumulation in Mongolia, whereas the non-traded sector’s productivity shock, the household preference shock, and the government spending shock have an increasing effect on the same. Furthermore, we assess Mongolia’s external debt sustainability under the COVID−19 pandemic shock. Under our assumed pandemic scenario, Mongolia’s external debt will increase by 30% from its steady state over the next 10–28 quarters. Our recommended solution in this study is to develop the traded sector, instead of the mining sector, to maintain sustainability of the external debt and to decrease vulnerability of the economy.

HOUSEHOLD PREFERENCE FOR TRADITIONAL/HERBAL AND MODERN MEDICINE IN ABUJA, NIGERIA

The use of herbal medicinal products and supplements has increased enormously over the past three decades with not less than 80% of people globally depending on them for some part of primary healthcare. However, this might be the case in many Cities. This study seeks to determine. Household preference for traditional/herbal and modern medicine in Abuja, Nigeria. Cross-sectional data from the primary source was used for this study. Two hundred and twenty (220) individuals responded to the survey hence that constitutes the sample size used for the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data set. From the result, the mean age was 33.7 years. About 90.9% of the respondents in the study area had tertiary education. Most (60%) of the respondents were female in the study. Most (50%) of the respondents were civil servants and 58.63% of the respondents have a household size below 5 persons. 60% of the respondents prefer modern/contemporary drugs, 25.91% prefer traditional/local drugs, and 14.09% prefer to seek out spiritual prayers when they are sick. Dosage of traditional medicine cannot be regulated was the most ranked perception of the respondents. Most (55%) of the respondent posit that they were dizzy after taking traditional medicine. From the foregoing, it can be concluded that the usage of traditional medicine was still poor, as most of the households in the study posit that they preferred modern drugs. Majority of the respondent also opined that the dosage of traditional drugs could not be properly regulated. Traditional drugs had negative side effects including heavy dizziness, purging among others. Based on the findings of the study, it is therefore recommended that training and re-training be done for the producers of traditional medicine on how to better prescribe the necessary dosage per time. It is also recommended that an advocacy campaign be carried out to encourage patronage of locally produced herbs given that some of the imported or foreign drugs are made from herbs as well.

Drivers of food choices among households in Kersa District, Eastern Ethiopia

Introduction: Most individuals in low and middle income countries do not meet nutritional requirements. This can be at least partially attributed to poor diet quality, which is impacted by both external and personal food environment factors. Personal food choice factors among socio-economically disadvantaged groups of Ethiopia are not well researched. Objective: This study aimed to assess food choice factors in eastern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted among 1196 households in Kersa, Eastern Ethiopia with women age 18-49 years. Confirmatory factor analysis models were used to estimate factors that influence food choice. Cronbach’s alpha for internal reliability coefficients were tested. Results: A majority of respondents were employed in agricultural work and a quarter of the families were poor. Women were primarily responsible for household food procurement. Factors that play a role in food choice included food price, convenience, quality, household preference, household food production and market advertisement. Conclusion: Improving nutritional knowledge and diversifying food availability may help to improve food choices and dietary intake in this rural part of eastern Ethiopia.

Decisión de localización del hogar en España. Modelo de clases latentes vs. modelo mixto.

In this work the unobservable heterogeneity respect to the choice of household’s residential location is analyzed, considering three alternatives: urban area, interurban area and rural area. It is employed latent class choice model to represent this behavior and the results are compared with the multinomial and mixed logit models. The more flexible structure of the latent class model allows us more deeply into the analysis of unobservable heterogeneity with respect to the more limited analysis of the randomness of the parameters of the mixed logit model. The empirical results indicate two classes or groups of households with differentiated behaviors regarding to the decision of location and associated to different lifestyles. Thus, certain attributes of the location of the dwelling, such as noise, pollution or delinquency, have an effect on household preference in a different way according to the class of belonging. Also, individual characteristics of the household’s head, such as age, gender or educational level, have a different impact on the preference for location according to the class of belonging. The results allow us to distinguish two lifestyles associated with each class or group of preference: suburban and urban.

Households’ Preference for Local Rice in the Upper East Region, Ghana

Considering the increasing demand in the rice industry, the study was undertaken to determine the factors influencing household preference for locally produced rice in the Upper East Region, Ghana. Primary data was obtained from a sample of 180 households with the aid of a structured questionnaire. Probit model and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance were used to analyze the data. Significant socioeconomic factors include income, age, sex, and marital status, whereas the quality factors such as the absence of foreign materials, packaging, and aroma were also significant determinants of preference for local rice. The top three traits consumers consider in their choice for local rice were good-looking grains, excellent packaging, and absence of foreign materials in the rice. There was an evidence of an increased preference for quality local rice. Hence, increased investment in the rice value chain, particularly the processing stage where quality standards remain the topmost priority, will help boost consumers’ confidence in the local rice market.