Promoting Consumers' Sustainable Consumption of Online Retail Cold Chain Logistics Services: Extended Applications of SOR and Cognitive-Affective-Conative Theories.

As food safety awareness rises and living standards improve, consumers have increasingly higher expectations for the efficiency and quality of cold chain logistics services. For cold chain logistics service providers, accurately understanding consumer psychology and enhancing their willingness to continue using the service-while guiding them to actively participate in green cold chain logistics practices-are necessary means to maintain competitiveness. Therefore, based on stimulus-organism-response and cognitive-affective-conative theories, this study constructs a three-stage model to explore the factors influencing consumers' continuous consumption of online retail cold chain delivery services. This study substantiates that consumers' intention to continue consuming proceeds through the following three stages: cognitive, affective, and conative. Specifically, the results indicate that consumer- and environment-oriented services significantly enhance consumer value and psychological empowerment, which further promotes their intention to continue using the service and participate in green practices. Moreover, psychological empowerment and perceived value fully and partially mediate the relationship between the two types of services and consumer sustainable consumption, respectively. These findings expand the research on cold chain consumption and deepen our understanding of how various factors influence consumer behavior.

Delay in Seeking Institutional Delivery Services and Associated Factors Among Immediate Postpartum Mothers in Public Health Facilities in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2022.

Background: Maternal and neonatal mortality is a global problem that is highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, including Ethiopia. Maternal delay in seeking institutional delivery services utilization plays a significant role in determining maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Although studies have been conducted on institutional delivery service utilization in Ethiopia, little is known about factors for delays in seeking care for institutional delivery services. Objective: This study aimed to assess the delay in seeking institutional delivery services and associated factors among immediate postpartum mothers in public health facilities in Gondar, northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 15 to September 10, 2022. A total of 391 participants were selected using systematic random sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using structured, pretested, and interviewer-administered questionnaires. Data were entered into EpiData version 4.6, and the analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Science version 26. The multivariable logistic regression model was fitted and the level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Result: The prevalence of delay in seeking institutional delivery was 49.10% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 44.13, 54.08). Rural residence (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.51; 95% CI: 1.43-4.41), no antenatal care visits (AOR: 2.87; 95% CI: 1.34-6.13), unplanned pregnancy (AOR: 2.98; 95% CI: 1.78-5.01), poor decision-making autonomy in maternity care services (AOR: 1.98; 95% CI: 1.15-3.40), and poor birth preparedness plan (AOR: 4.88; 95% CI: 2.79-8.53) were significantly associated with delays in seeking institutional delivery. Conclusion: Delays in seeking institutional delivery services were high. It is better to promote women's decision-making power in their own health care. In addition, it is better to arrange programs that will improve maternal and child health service utilization.

Changes in health facility readiness for obstetric and neonatal care services in Nepal: an analysis of cross-sectional health facility survey data in 2015 and 2021.

BACKGROUND: Nepal is committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2030 target 3.1 of reducing the maternal mortality ratio to 70 deaths per 100,000 live births. Along with increasing access to health facility (HF)-based delivery services, improving HF readiness is critically important. The majority of births in Nepal are normal low-risk births and most of them take place in public HFs, as does the majority of maternal deaths. This study aims to assess changes in HF readiness in Nepal between 2015 and 2021, notably, if HF readiness for providing high-quality services for normal low-risk deliveries improved; if the functionality of basic emergency obstetric and neonatal care (BEmONC) services increased; and if infection prevention and control improved. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from two nationally representative HF-based surveys in 2015 and 2021 were analyzed. This included 457 HFs in 2015 and 804 HFs in 2021, providing normal low-risk delivery services. Indices for HF readiness for normal low-risk delivery services, BEmONC service functionality, and infection prevention and control were computed. Independent sample T-test was used to measure changes over time. The results were stratified by public versus private HFs. RESULTS: Despite a statistically significant increase in the overall HF readiness index for normal low-risk delivery services, from 37.9% in 2015 to 43.7%, in 2021, HF readiness in 2021 remained inadequate. The availability of trained providers, essential medicines for mothers, and basic equipment and supplies was high, while that of essential medicines for newborns was moderate; availability of delivery care guidelines was low. BEmONC service functionality did not improve and remained below five percent facility coverage at both time points. In private HFs, readiness for good quality obstetrical care was higher than in public HFs at both time points. The infection prevention and control index improved over time; however, facility coverage in 2021 remained below ten percent. CONCLUSIONS: The slow progress and sub-optimal readiness for normal, low-risk deliveries and infection prevention and control, along with declining and low BEmONC service functionality in 2021 is reflective of poor quality of care and provides some proximate explanation for the moderately high maternal mortality and the stagnation of neonatal mortality in Nepal. To reach the SDG 2030 target of reducing maternal deaths, Nepal must hasten its efforts to strengthen supply chain systems to enhance the availability and utilization of essential medicines, equipment, and supplies, along with guidelines, to bolster the human resource capacity, and to implement mechanisms to monitor quality of care. In general, the capacity of local governments to deliver basic healthcare services needs to be increased.

The Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions and Changes to Takeaway Regulations in England on Consumers' Intake and Methods of Accessing Out-of-Home Foods: A Longitudinal, Mixed-Methods Study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 restrictions significantly impacted the operations of fast food and full-service retailers. Full-service retailers were permitted to operate as takeaway outlets without needing to seek formal changes in planning permissions. We conducted a study to determine consumers' intake and modes of accessing foods from fast food and full-service retailers during various COVID-19 restrictions and changes to takeaway/delivery regulations, as well as their experiences. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal, mixed-methods study comprising three surveys, which examined the intake frequency and modes of accessing retailers, and two rounds of qualitative focus groups, which explored their related experiences. The data were collected at three timepoints (T) from May 2021-March 2022. The participants were adults living in Northern England (n = 701 at T1); a sub-sample participated in the focus groups (n = 22). The intake data were presented descriptively; an ordered logit regression explored the factors associated with the intake frequency. The focus group data were analysed using a framework analysis. RESULTS: The mean weekly intake frequency from fast food retailers at T1, T2, and T3 was 0.96 (SD 1.05), 1.08 (SD 1.16), and 1.06 times (SD 1.12), respectively. For full-service retailers, this was 0.36 (SD 0.69), 0.75 (1.06), and 0.71 (SD 0.99) times, respectively. Food access issues (OR (SE): T1 = 1.65 (0.40), T2 = 2.60 (0.66), T = 2.1 (0.62)) and obesity (T1 = 1.61 (0.31), T2 = 2.21 (0.46), T3 = 1.85 (0.42)) were positively associated with intake from fast food, but not full-service retailers. Delivery services were commonly used to access fast food (30-34% participants), but not full-service retailers (6-10% participants). As COVID-19 restrictions eased, participants were eager to socialise on-premises at full-service retailers. CONCLUSIONS: Takeaway/delivery services were seldom used to access full-service retailers, but the use of delivery services to access fast food was high. Policymakers must recognise delivery services as a growing part of the food environment, and the challenges they pose to planning policies for obesity prevention.

Maternal Satisfaction on Delivery Service and Its Associated Factors in Public Health Facilities at West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia.

Background: Maternal delivery satisfaction could be assessed to improve the quality and effectiveness. Thus, this study aimed to assess maternal satisfaction with delivery services and associated factors in public health facilities in West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on maternal satisfaction delivery services. Systematic and stratified sampling techniques were used to select mothers by using their delivery registration number and to select health facilities. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify associated factors. Results: Among mothers, the overall satisfaction with delivery service was 584 (87%). Shower service availability (39.8%), toilet cleanliness (32.6%), and waiting area cleanliness (31.1%) were significant areas of mothers' dissatisfaction with delivery services. Uneducated mothers, mothers of 1-6 education level, monthly income of mothers less than 500 Birr, mothers who followed antenatal care, mothers who had actual fetal outcome, mothers who admitted from 6:00 AM to 12:00, and mothers who admitted from 12:00 AM to 6:00 PM were satisfied with delivery services. Conclusion: The age of the mother, mother's education level, monthly income of mother, antenatal care, fetal outcome, place of delivery, and admission time of the mother were significantly associated factors for mothers' satisfaction with delivery services. Therefore, regional health bureaus and zonal health offices should work collaboratively on maternal care to improve maternal satisfaction during delivery.

Investigating changes in travel behavior over time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected travel behavior, including the frequency and mode of travel, with the magnitude and nature of these effects varying over time. This study investigates the nature of these relationships by examining changes in various measures of travel behavior, including weekly driving hours, as well as the frequency of telecommuting, use of ride-sharing services, travel for medical purposes, and use of food delivery services. Self-reported travel data from a representative statewide survey of Michigan residents were used to assess changes in these metrics during the early stages of the pandemic, as well as one year thereafter. Random effects linear regression and ordered logit regression models were estimated and the findings show that various changes in behavior had long-lasting effects, while other behaviors generally reverted back toward pre-pandemic levels. In addition, these changes were found to vary across individuals. For example, significant differences were observed based on socio-demographic characteristics, between urban and rural areas, and amongst individuals with differing views on COVID-19 and related government interventions. In general, the pandemic tended to have less pronounced and sustained effects among younger adults as compared to older age groups. Further, those individuals who were opposed to mandatory COVID-19 vaccines were less likely to change their travel behavior, during both the early and latter stages of the pandemic. Changes were observed consistently across most of the travel metrics of interest. Among these, overall driving hours, travel for medical purposes, and ride-sharing were still lower during the latter stages of the pandemic, while telecommuting and the use of food delivery services reverted nearer to pre-pandemic levels.

Proportion and factors influencing client satisfaction with delivery services in health facilities in the Sissala East Municipality, Ghana: A cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: Client satisfaction is the difference between the healthcare services delivered and the needs of the client. Anecdotal evidence suggests the quality of maternal health and delivery services in Ghana especially in the Upper West Region is appalling. Moreover, there is a paucity of data on clients' satisfaction with maternal and delivery services rendered by healthcare. This study, therefore, assessed clients' satisfaction with delivery services and their associated factors. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included 431 women who had delivered in the last 7 days from four health facilities within Sissala East Municipality using a multistage and simple random sampling technique. A well-structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and client satisfaction data. All statistical analyses were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 26.0 and GraphPad Prism Version 8.0. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Clients' satisfaction with general delivery services was rated as 80.3% and was significantly associated with process-related factors (p < 0.0001) and structural-related factors (p < 0.0001) of the health facilities. This study found that health facilities' delivery services differed significantly and were associated with clients' satisfaction (p < 0.0001). Moreover, age group (p = 0.0200), occupation (p = 0.0090), kind of delivery (p = 0.0050), and delivery outcome (p < 0.0001) were significantly associated with client satisfaction with delivery services. Conclusion: More than two-thirds of women are satisfied with delivery services within selected health facilities in the Sissala East municipality, although satisfaction within health facilities differs. Furthermore, age group, occupation, kind of delivery, delivery outcome, process, and structural-related factors significantly contribute to client satisfaction with delivery services. To provide more comprehensive coverage of customers' satisfaction with delivery services in the municipality, strategies such as free maternal health initiatives and health education on the significance of facility delivery should be reinforced.

How has COVID-19 impacted customer perceptions and demand for delivery services: An exploratory analysis.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic created an environment where nearly all aspects of mobility changed to ensure the health and safety of the public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that people quarantine for 14 days if they were potentially exposed to the virus, stay at least six feet apart from others, and stay at home as much as possible. Delivery via third-party restaurant app, grocery, and package delivery quickly became an essential service. This study assesses customer's changes in use and perceived quality of delivery services in Southwest Virginia, via an online stated-preference survey (n = 423). The responses were analyzed using ordered logit and generalized ordered logit models to identify which population segments had changing delivery behavior and perceptions due to the pandemic. Findings include that before the pandemic, only households with an income greater than $100,000 had a significantly higher demand for package delivery services than those making less than $25,000. During the pandemic, all income brackets had a significantly higher demand for package delivery "weekly" than households with less than a $25,000 income, with a 19.50%, 22.54%, and 45.59% greater chance of use for income levels $25,000 to $50,000, $50,000 to $100,000, and over $100,000, respectively. This trend highlights that package delivery became necessary during the pandemic. Respondents who lived within town limits were statistically significantly more likely to use third-party restaurant delivery apps at least once a week before (3.10%), during (9.20%), and after (4.50%) the pandemic compared to those outside town limits. The results also found people who lived within town limits were 7.77% more likely to be satisfied with delivery services in general than those who lived outside town limits. The findings from this paper identify expanding delivery equity gaps within the population and provide recommendations for policymakers and delivery agencies. Some limitations include that low sample size did not allow for fully segmented models and meant that the study should be considered exploratory in nature.

Inequalities in access to new medication delivery services among non-communicable disease patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from nationally representative surveys in Thailand.

BACKGROUND: This study describes the inequalities in access to a medication delivery service (MDS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and identifies the social determinants of health-related inequalities among non-communicable disease (NCD) patients. METHODS: Data were obtained from a study on the impact of health behaviours and modifications in health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Thai population in 2021. The participants were recruited from Bangkok and all four regions of Thailand. The concentration index was used to examine the inequality among income quintiles, which were standardised by age, sex, living area, job type, health insurance scheme, and education level. Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between socio-demographics and access to regular services and new NCD MDSs, adjusted for age, sex, and other covariates. RESULTS: Among 1,739 NCD patients, greater income inequalities in accessing regular NCD services and collecting medicines at registered pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic were observed, for which the concentration index indicated utilisation inequalities in favour of richer households. In contrast, receiving medicine at primary care centres, by postal delivery, and delivered by village health volunteers were the new NCD MDSs, which favoured less wealthy households. NCD patients living in rural areas were more likely to access new NCD MDSs, compared to those in urban areas (adjusted odds ratio = 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-4.34). Significant associations with receiving medicine at hospitals were also observed for the income quintiles. Individuals in the lowest and 2nd lowest income quintiles were more likely to access new MDSs than those in the richest quintiles. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted a disproportionate concentration of access to new NCD MDSs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand, which was more concentrated in lower-income groups. The government should further study and integrate MDSs with the highest cost benefits into nationwide regular systems, while addressing systematic barriers to access to these services, such as the lack of shared health data across health facilities and tele pharmacy equipment. This will promote access to public services among patients in the less advantaged groups and reduce the health inequality gap.

Changes in Online Food Access During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Associations With Deprivation: Longitudinal Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Food prepared out of home is typically energy-dense and nutrient-poor. Online food delivery services have become a popular way to purchase such food. The number of accessible food outlets through these services can influence how frequently they are used. Anecdotally, food outlet access through online food delivery services increased in England between 2020 and 2022, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the extent to which this access changed is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate monthly changes in online access to food prepared out of home in England in the context of the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with November 2019 and the extent to which any changes were associated with deprivation. METHODS: In November 2019 and monthly between June 2020 and March 2022, we used automated data collection to construct a data set containing information about all food outlets in England registered to accept orders through the leading online food delivery service. Across postcode districts, we identified the number and percentage of food outlets registered to accept orders and the number that was accessible. We used generalized estimating equations (adjusted for population density, the number of food outlets in the physical food environment, and rural/urban classification) to investigate the change in outcomes compared with prepandemic levels (November 2019). We stratified analyses by deprivation quintile (Q). RESULTS: Across England, the summed number of food outlets registered to accept orders online increased from 29,232 in November 2019 to 49,752 in March 2022. Across postcode districts, the median percentage of food outlets registered to accept orders online increased from 14.3 (IQR 3.8-26.0) in November 2019 to 24.0 (IQR 6.2-43.5) in March 2022. The median number of food outlets accessible online decreased from 63.5 (IQR 16.0-156.0) in November 2019 to 57.0 (IQR 11.0-163.0) in March 2022. However, we observed variation by deprivation. In March 2022, the median number of outlets accessible online was 175.0 (IQR 104.0-292.0) in the most deprived areas (Q5) compared with 27.0 (IQR 8.5-60.5) in the least deprived (Q1). In adjusted analyses, we estimated that the number of outlets accessible online in the most deprived areas was 10% higher in March 2022 compared with November 2019 (incidence rate ratios: 1.10, 95% CI 1.07-1.13). In the least deprived areas, we estimated a 19% decrease (incidence rate ratios: 0.81, 95% CI 0.79-0.83). CONCLUSIONS: The number of food outlets accessible online increased only in the most deprived areas in England. Future research might attempt to understand the extent to which changes in online food access were associated with changes in online food delivery service use and the possible implications on diet quality and health.

Associations between area deprivation and changes in the digital food environment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal analysis of three online food delivery platforms.

Online food delivery services facilitate access to unhealthy foods and have proliferated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores associations between neighbourhood deprivation and exposure to online food delivery services and changes in exposure by deprivation during the first year of the pandemic. Data on food outlets delivering to 661 postcode districts in London and the North of England in 2020 and 2021 were collected from three online delivery platforms. The association between area deprivation and overall exposure to online food delivery services was moderated by region, with evidence of a positive relationship between count of outlets and deprivation in the North of England, and a negative relationship in London. There was no association between area deprivation and growth of online food delivery services. Associations between neighbourhood deprivation and exposure to the digital food environment vary geographically. Consequently, policies aimed at the digital food environment need to be tailored to the local context.

An assessment of out of pocket payments in public sector health facilities under the free maternal healthcare policy in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: The free maternal healthcare policy was introduced in Ghana in 2008 under the national health insurance scheme as a social intervention to improve access to maternal health services. This study investigated the prevalence of out of pocket (OOP) payment among pregnant women with valid national health insurance who sought skilled delivery services at public sector health facilities in Ghana. The study also assessed the health system factors associated with OOP payment. METHODS: We used data from the Ghana Maternal Health Survey (GMHS), which was conducted in 2017. The study comprised 7681 women who delivered at a public sector health facility and had valid national health insurance at the time of delivery. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to assess factors associated with OOP payment, whiles accounting for clustering, stratification, and sampling weights. RESULTS: The prevalence of OOP payment for skilled delivery services was 19.0%. After adjustment at multivariable level, hospital delivery services (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 1.23, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.00, 1.52), caesarean section (aOR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.36, 2.20), and receiving intravenous infusion during delivery (aOR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.60) were associated with higher odds of OOP payment. Women who were discharged home 2 to 7 days after delivery had 19% lower odds of OOP payment compared to those who were discharged within 24 hours after delivery. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of high prevalence of OOP payment among women who had skilled delivery services in public sector health facilities although such women had valid national health insurance. Government may need to institute measures to reduce OOP payment in public sector facilities especially at the hospitals and for women undergoing caesarean sections.

Utilization of Delivery Services among Mothers in Aluu Community, Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State.

Background: Utilization of delivery services is paramount to achieving a safe delivery outcome and preventing maternal mortality/morbidity among mothers. In semi-urban communities, delivery services are provided by both health and non-health facilities and are influenced by either socio-demographic or economic factors. This study aims to evaluate the utilization of delivery services across various places that provide such care and to identify the factors that influence the utilization of delivery services in the Aluu community. Methodology: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 5 out of 9 villages in the Aluu community. A total of 415 respondents were recruited for the study. The study was carried out between April 2021 and October 2021. A multistage sampling method was used, and data was collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. The Chi-square test was used for inferential analysis and a significant level was set at p≤ 0.05 at 95% confidence interval. Results: Out of 415 respondents, 44.03% were delivered in a healthcare facility while 55.97% were delivered in a non-health care facility. Tribe, religion, educational status, occupation, and Obstetrics and gynecological factors were found to influence the utilization of delivery services. Conclusion: More than half of women utilized delivery services provided by non-health facilities and there was a significant relationship between tribe, religion, educational status, occupation, and Obstetrics and gynecological factors and the utilization of delivery services in the Aluu community.

Providing pharmaceutical care remotely through medicines delivery services in community pharmacy.

Background: The delivery of pharmaceutical care - and what that means - has been at the centre of many transformations of the pharmacy profession in the last century. Today, the exponential growth of pharmacies which provide pharmaceutical care exclusively online has placed increased scrutiny on the quality of the care they provide. Aim: As more patients are managed by remote pharmaceutical care (via medicines delivery services), we sought to critically evaluate this service to identify new research directions. Methods: The COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research and Standards for reporting qualitative research guideline provided the methodological framework throughout this process. Results: We reveal that although home delivery services ensure that many patients have access to their medicines, it may reduce time available to provide comprehensive pharmaceutical care, particularly in traditional brick-and-mortar pharmacies. Conclusion: We highlight a critical need for research in this area and suggest a variety of research directions: is remote pharmaceutical care a matter of convenience? Does remote pharmaceutical care help patients adhere to their medicines? How do digital health innovations impact care across patient demographics? What does comprehensive pharmaceutical care mean for patients?

Computational analysis of user experience and customer satisfaction with mobile food delivery services: Evidence from big data approaches.

Because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, mobile food delivery services have gained new prominence in our society. With this trend, the understanding of user experience in improving mobile food delivery services has gained increasing importance. To this end, we explore how user experience factors extracted by two natural language processing methods from comments of user reviews of mobile food delivery services significantly improve user satisfaction with the services. The results of two multiple regression analyses show that sentiment dimension factors, as well as usability, usefulness, and affection, have notable effects on satisfaction with the applications. Based on several findings of this study, we examine the significant implications and present the limitations of the study.

Investigating experiences of frequent online food delivery service use: a qualitative study in UK adults.

BACKGROUND: Food prepared out-of-home is typically energy-dense and nutrient-poor. This food can be purchased from multiple types of retailer, including restaurants and takeaway food outlets. Using online food delivery services to purchase food prepared out-of-home is increasing in popularity. This may lead to more frequent unhealthy food consumption, which is positively associated with poor diet and living with obesity. Understanding possible reasons for using online food delivery services might contribute to the development of future public health interventions, if deemed necessary. This knowledge would be best obtained by engaging with individuals who use online food delivery services as part of established routines. Therefore, we aimed to investigate customer experiences of using online food delivery services to understand their reasons for using them, including any advantages and drawbacks. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 2020, we conducted telephone interviews with 22 adults living in the UK who had used online food delivery services on at least a monthly basis over the previous year. Through codebook thematic analysis, we generated five themes: 'The importance of takeaway food', 'Less effort for more convenience', 'Saving money and reallocating time', 'Online food delivery service normalisation' and 'Maintained home food practices'. Two concepts were overarching throughout: 'Place. Time. Situation.' and 'Perceived advantages outweigh recognised drawbacks'. After considering each of the accessible food purchasing options within the context of their location and the time of day, participants typically selected online food delivery services. Participants reported that they did not use online food delivery services to purchase healthy food. Participants considered online food delivery service use to be a normal practice that involves little effort due to optimised purchasing processes. As a result, these services were seen to offer convenient access to food aligned with sociocultural expectations. Participants reported that this convenience was often an advantage but could be a drawback. Although participants were price-sensitive, they were willing to pay delivery fees for the opportunity to complete tasks whilst waiting for delivery. Furthermore, participants valued price-promotions and concluded that receiving them justified their online food delivery service use. Despite takeaway food consumption, participants considered home cooking to be irreplaceable. CONCLUSIONS: Future public health interventions might seek to increase the healthiness of food available online whilst maintaining sociocultural values. Extending restrictions adopted in other food environments to online food delivery services could also be explored.

Sentiment Analysis of Customer Reviews of Food Delivery Services Using Deep Learning and Explainable Artificial Intelligence: Systematic Review.

During the COVID-19 crisis, customers' preference in having food delivered to their doorstep instead of waiting in a restaurant has propelled the growth of food delivery services (FDSs). With all restaurants going online and bringing FDSs onboard, such as UberEATS, Menulog or Deliveroo, customer reviews on online platforms have become an important source of information about the company's performance. FDS organisations aim to gather complaints from customer feedback and effectively use the data to determine the areas for improvement to enhance customer satisfaction. This work aimed to review machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) methods to predict customer sentiments in the FDS domain. A literature review revealed the wide usage of lexicon-based and ML techniques for predicting sentiments through customer reviews in FDS. However, limited studies applying DL techniques were found due to the lack of the model interpretability and explainability of the decisions made. The key findings of this systematic review are as follows: 77% of the models are non-interpretable in nature, and organisations can argue for the explainability and trust in the system. DL models in other domains perform well in terms of accuracy but lack explainability, which can be achieved with XAI implementation. Future research should focus on implementing DL models for sentiment analysis in the FDS domain and incorporating XAI techniques to bring out the explainability of the models.

Changes in consumer dynamics on general e-commerce platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic: An exploratory study of the Japanese market.

This study analyzed the changes in consumers' use dynamics of general e-commerce (EC) platforms (e.g., Amazon.com) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We initially supposed that the significance of consumer benefits, including pricing, product variety, and delivery services, on the platforms would decrease and the value of using an EC platform itself would increase due to the pandemic, based on which we conducted a comparative analysis of questionnaire data from 2,119 Japanese consumers who use general EC platforms. The data were obtained in November 2018 and January 2021. Our analysis has two parts, the first designed as a conjoint analysis to statistically analyze the changes in consumers' sense of values for pricing, variety of goods, stability and quality of delivery services, and basic benefits of using EC platforms; and the second part designed to statistically analyze the changes in comprehensive items when using EC platforms. We categorized the dataset into men and women and further clustered them based on the patterns of consumers' sense of factors when using EC platform. The analysis results were inconsistent with our initial supposition, in that a non-negligible proportion of consumer clusters showed an increase in the significance of factors, including pricing, product variety, and delivery service, and a decrease in the basic benefits of using EC platforms. Regarding the results of the analysis of comprehensive items, the only commonly observed change for most clusters of both men and women was an increase in the use of package drop. The results indicate that changes in consumers' sense of using EC platforms due to the pandemic were not as simple as supposed because the pandemic caused various changes in the need mechanism of consumers of EC platforms.

Associations between online food outlet access and online food delivery service use amongst adults in the UK: a cross-sectional analysis of linked data.

BACKGROUND: Online food delivery services facilitate 'online' access to food outlets that typically sell lenergy-dense nutrient-poor food. Greater online food outlet access might be related to the use of this purchasing format and living with excess bodyweight, however, this is not known. We aimed to investigate the association between aspects of online food outlet access and online food delivery service use, and differences according to customer sociodemographic characteristics, as well as the association between the number of food outlets accessible online and bodyweight. METHODS: In 2019, we used an automated data collection method to collect data on all food outlets in the UK registered with the leading online food delivery service Just Eat (n = 33,204). We linked this with contemporaneous data on food purchasing, bodyweight, and sociodemographic information collected through the International Food Policy Study (analytic sample n = 3067). We used adjusted binomial logistic, linear, and multinomial logistic regression models to examine associations. RESULTS: Adults in the UK had online access to a median of 85 food outlets (IQR: 34-181) and 85 unique types of cuisine (IQR: 64-108), and 15.1% reported online food delivery service use in the previous week. Those with the greatest number of accessible food outlets (quarter four, 182-879) had 71% greater odds of online food delivery service use (OR: 1.71; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.68) compared to those with the least (quarter one, 0-34). This pattern was evident amongst adults with a university degree (OR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.15, 3.85), adults aged between 18 and 29 years (OR: 3.27, 95% CI: 1.59, 6.72), those living with children (OR: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.01; 3.75), and females at each level of increased exposure. We found no association between the number of unique types of cuisine accessible online and online food delivery service use, or between the number of food outlets accessible online and bodyweight. CONCLUSIONS: The number of food outlets accessible online is positively associated with online food delivery service use. Adults with the highest education, younger adults, those living with children, and females, were particularly susceptible to the greatest online food outlet access. Further research is required to investigate the possible health implications of online food delivery service use.

The effects of geographical accessibility to health facilities on antenatal care and delivery services utilization in Benin: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The world is making progress toward achieving maternal and child health (MCH) related components of the Sustainable Development Goals. Nevertheless, the progress of many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa is lagging. Geographical accessibility from residence to health facilities is considered a major obstacle hampering the use of appropriate MCH services. Benin, a country where the southern and northern parts belong to different geographical zones, has among the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. Adequate use of MCH care is important to save lives of women and their babies. This study assessed the effect of geographical accessibility to health facilities on antenatal care and delivery services utilization in Benin, with an emphasis on geographical zones. METHODS: We pooled two rounds of Benin Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHS). The sample included 18,105 women aged 15-49 years (9111 from BDHS-2011/2012 and 8994 from BDHS-2017/2018) who had live births within five years preceding the surveys. We measured the distance and travel time from residential areas to the closest health center by merging the BDHS datasets with Benin's geographic information system data. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the effect of geographical access on pregnancy and delivery services utilization. We conducted a propensity score-matching analysis to check for robustness. RESULTS: Regression results showed that the distance to the closest health center had adverse effects on the likelihood of a woman receiving appropriate maternal healthcare. The estimates showed that one km increase in straight-line distance to the closest health center reduces the odds of the woman receiving at least one antenatal care by 0.042, delivering in facility by 0.092, and delivering her baby with assistance of skilled birth attendants by 0.118. We also confirmed the negative effects of travel time and altitude of women's residence on healthcare utilization. Nonetheless, these effects were mainly seen in the northern part of Benin. CONCLUSIONS: Geographical accessibility to health facilities is critically important for the utilization of antenatal care and delivery services, particularly in the northern part of Benin. Improving geographical accessibility, especially in rural areas, is significant for further use of maternal health care in Benin.

Maternal and neonatal mortality rates are still high in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Antenatal care (ANC) visits and institutional delivery with skilled birth attendants are important to prevent maternal and neonatal deaths. Nevertheless, women's utilization of ANC and delivery services has decreased recently in Benin, a country where the southern and northern parts belong to different geographical zones.Geographical accessibility from residence to health facilities is considered a major obstacle hampering the use of appropriate maternal healthcare. This study assessed the effect of geographical accessibility on ANC and delivery services utilization in Benin by considering the geographical characteristics.We used the two rounds of the Benin Demographic and Health Survey 2011/2012 and 2017/2018 and conducted regression analysis.This study has three important findings: (1) We confirmed adverse effects of distance and travel time on the likelihood of a women receiving appropriate ANC and delivery services in Benin, but this effect was mainly observed in the northern part; (2) Distance and travel time to health facilities had a negative effect on the use of at least one ANC but no significant effect for four or more ANC; (3) Regarding the threshold of distance, we confirmed that women living within 5 km from the closest health center were more likely to use maternal healthcare compared to their counterparts.In conclusion, geographical accessibility to health facilities is critically important for the utilization of antenatal care and delivery services, particularly in the northern part of Benin.