Search Results (567)

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages globally, with over 60% of Americans drinking it daily. This review examines coffee’s multifaceted impact on health and well-being, drawing on decades of research. Overall, the consensus is that moderate coffee intake is more beneficial than harmful across a wide range of health outcomes. Numerous large-scale, prospective cohort studies from around the world have consistently shown that moderate coffee consumption—typically three to five cups per day—is associated with reduced overall mortality and lower risk of major diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, stroke, respiratory conditions, cognitive decline, and potentially several types of cancer, including liver and uterine cancers. Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee have shown benefits. The addition of sugar and cream to coffee may attenuate coffee’s positive health effects. Despite historical concerns, coffee consumption is not linked to increased risks of cancer, hypertension, or arrhythmia. However, some concerns remain. For pregnant women, coffee consumption should be limited to lower amounts, such that the daily intake of caffeine does not exceed 200 mg/day. Also, excessive caffeinated coffee intake may cause anxiety or sleep disturbances. Coffee’s health-promoting mechanisms include improved glucose balancing, increased physical activity, increased fat oxidation, improved lung function, and reduced inflammation. Beyond mortality and chronic diseases, coffee consumption affects many aspects of well-being: it supports hydration, boosts mental acuity, enhances physical performance, and may aid bowel recovery after surgery. While the field is well-studied via long-term observational cohorts, future research should focus on randomized controlled trials, Mendelian randomization studies, and granular analyses of coffee types and additives. Full article

With the arrival of an aging society and the continuous extension of the human lifespan, the quality of life has not improved in a corresponding manner. People’s demand for happiness and health is increasing. As a result, a model emerged that integrates tourism and medical services, which is health tourism. This growing demand has prompted many service providers to see it as a business opportunity and enter the market. Tourism can help travelers release work stress and restore physical and mental balance; meanwhile, health check-ups and disease treatment can help them regain health. Consumers have long favored health and medical tourism because it helps relieve stress and promotes overall well-being. As people age, some consumers experience a gradual decline in physical functions, making it difficult for them to participate in regular travel services provided by traditional travel agencies. Therefore, this study aims to explore the service needs of health and medical tourism customers (tourists/patients) and the interrelationships among these service needs, so that health and medical tourism service providers can develop more customized and diversified services. This study identifies four key drivers of medical tourism services: medical services, medical facilities, tour planning, and hospitality facilities. This study uses the APA (attention and performance analysis) method to assess each dimension and criterion and utilizes the DEMATEL method with the NRM (network relationship map) to identify network relationships. By combining APA and NRM techniques, this study develops the APA-NRM technique to evaluate adoption strategies and identify suitable paths for health tourism services, providing tailored development strategies and recommendations for service providers to enhance the service experience. Full article

This study adopts a dynamic Expectancy–Disconfirmation framework to investigate the evolving nature of user satisfaction across three product categories: durable goods, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and digital products. A 25-day longitudinal experiment involving 128 participants was conducted, during which users engaged with their most recently purchased products and provided repeated subjective evaluations over time. The findings reveal dynamic changes in the influence of expectations and perceived performance on satisfaction throughout the product usage cycle. For durable goods and FMCG, both expectations and perceived performance gradually declined, accompanied by a weakening effect of expectations on satisfaction. In contrast, digital products exhibited greater volatility, lacking a stable experiential baseline and resulting in greater fluctuations in satisfaction trajectories. Moreover, external contextual and emotional factors were found to play a more significant role in shaping satisfaction with physical products, beyond the scope of the traditional expectancy–performance model. These insights offer theoretical and managerial implications for sustainable product and experience design. In particular, they highlight the importance of implementing experience-stabilizing strategies in digital consumption contexts to support user well-being and enhance continuous product utilization, thereby maximizing product potential and reducing waste. Full article

The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) supports one of the most valuable small-scale fisheries in Portugal, particularly in the Algarve region, with substantial socioeconomic implications. This species holds significant potential for human consumption due to its low lipid content, favorable fatty acid profile, high-quality protein, and essential microelements. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive characterization of octopus specimens landed in two key Algarve fishing areas—Barlavento/Windward (Alvor Harbour) and Sotavento/Leeward (Fuzeta Harbour). We assessed their nutritional value, focusing on protein quality, lipid indexes, trace minerals, and essential vitamins, as well as overall safety and quality. All regulated contaminants and additional potential risks were also evaluated, yielding fully satisfactory safety results. The research was conducted within the framework of the European Sea2See project, which aims to enhance consumer trust and acceptance of sustainably harvested or farmed seafood in Europe. Our findings demonstrate that Algarve octopus is a nutritionally rich seafood product, promoting cardiovascular health and general well-being. Full article

Optimizing the regional business environment plays a crucial role in improving the market supply structure, enhancing market dynamism, and boosting consumer welfare. Investigating how the government can effectively improve the business environment and promote consumer welfare through scientific and strategic investment allocation is a topic that warrants comprehensive and in-depth research. This paper proposes a bi-level programming model based on consumer welfare, with the upper-level model focusing on optimizing the government’s investment allocation strategy to maximize consumer welfare, and the lower-level model addressing the spatial price equilibrium problem after improving the business environment. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed algorithm. The findings reveal that the bi-level programming model, integrating simulated annealing and projection algorithms, provides support for governments in accurately determining investment allocation strategies, enabling the simultaneous maximization of consumer welfare and optimization of the business environment. Additionally, increased government investment significantly improves both the business environment and consumer welfare, while appropriately managing the intensity of investment further enhances consumer welfare. This study offers valuable theoretical insights and practical guidance for governments to refine investment decisions, foster business environment development, and improve societal well-being. Full article

Emerging digital technologies are transforming how consumers participate in financial markets, yet their benefits depend critically on the speed, reliability, and transparency of the underlying platforms. Online stock trading platforms must maintain high efficiency underload to ensure a good user experience. This paper presents performance analysis under various load conditions based on the containerized stock exchange system. A comprehensive data logging pipeline was implemented, capturing metrics such as API response times, database query times, and resource utilization. We analyze the collected data to identify performance patterns, using both statistical analysis and machine learning techniques. Preliminary analysis reveals correlations between application processing time and database load, as well as the impact of user behavior on system performance. Association rule mining is applied to uncover relationships among performance metrics, and multiple classification algorithms are evaluated for their ability to predict user activity class patterns from system metrics. The insights from this work can guide optimizations in similar distributed web applications to improve scalability and reliability under a heavy load. By framing performance not merely as a technical property but as a determinant of financial decision-making and well-being, the study contributes actionable insights for designers of consumer-facing fintech services seeking to meet sustainable development goals through trustworthy, resilient digital infrastructure. Full article

The growing recognition of animal sentience has led to notable progress in European Union animal welfare legislation. However, a significant inconsistency remains: while mammals, birds, and cephalopods are legally protected as sentient beings, honeybees (Apis mellifera)—despite robust scientific evidence of their cognitive, emotional, and sensory complexity—are excluded from such protections. This manuscript examines, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the divergence between emerging evidence on invertebrate sentience and current EU legal frameworks. Honeybees and cephalopods serve as comparative case studies to assess inconsistencies in the criteria for legal recognition of sentience. Findings increasingly confirm that honeybees exhibit advanced cognitive functions, emotional states, and behavioral flexibility comparable to those of legally protected vertebrates. Their omission from welfare legislation lacks scientific justification and raises ethical and ecological concerns, especially given their central role in pollination and ecosystem stability. In general, we advocate for the inclusion of Apis mellifera in EU animal welfare policy. However, we are aware that there are also critical views on their introduction, which we address in a dedicated paragraph of the manuscript. For this reason, we advocate a gradual and evidence-based approach, guided by a permanent observatory, which could ensure that legislation evolves in parallel with scientific understanding, promoting ethical consistency, sustainable agriculture, and integrated health under the One Health framework. This approach would meet the concerns of consumers who consider well-being and respect for the environment as essential principles of breeding, and who carefully choose products from animals raised with systems that respect welfare, with indisputable economic advantages for the beekeeper. Full article

In the intersecting field of energy consumption and human well-being, many macro-level studies link national energy use with well-being. These studies often rely on aggregate data, however, limiting insights into intra-national inequities and diverse well-being outcomes. To bridge this gap, this study used a single Nordic survey that allowed for the calculation of consumption-based energy footprints alongside well-being measures, focusing on Icelandic participants. A factor analysis of well-being responses identifies four factors: Eudaimonic, Financial, Housing/Local, and Health-related well-being. We found that well-being in Iceland largely remains decoupled from energy footprints across income and consumption groups, except for financial well-being. However, these groups differ significantly in consumption lifestyles and associated footprints, with only a small fraction of consumers maintaining energy use within global sufficiency thresholds. Most exceed these levels, suggesting that Iceland could reduce energy consumption without significantly harming well-being. Future research should explore strategies to lower consumption without triggering negative social reactions or declines in well-being. Full article

Effective maintenance and management of road infrastructure are essential for community well-being, economic stability, and cost efficiency. Well-maintained roads reduce accident risks, improve safety, shorten travel times, lower vehicle repair costs, and facilitate the flow of goods, all of which positively contribute to GDP and economic development. Accurate intersection mapping forms the foundation of effective road asset management, yet traditional manual digitization methods remain time-consuming and prone to gaps and overlaps. This study presents an automated computational geometry solution for precise road intersection mapping that eliminates common digitization errors. Unlike conventional approaches that only detect intersection positions, our method systematically reconstructs complete intersection geometries while maintaining topological consistency. The technique combines plane surveying principles (including line-bearing analysis and curve detection) with spatial analytics to automatically identify intersections, characterize their connectivity patterns, and assign unique identifiers based on configurable parameters. When evaluated across multiple urban contexts using diverse data sources (manual digitization and OpenStreetMap), the method demonstrated consistent performance with mean Intersection over Union greater than 0.85 and F-scores more than 0.91. The high correctness and completeness metrics (both more than 0.9) confirm its ability to minimize both false positive and omission errors, even in complex roadway configurations. The approach consistently produced gap-free, overlap-free outputs, showing strength in handling interchange geometries. The solution enables transportation agencies to make data-driven maintenance decisions by providing reliable, standardized intersection inventories. Its adaptability to varying input data quality makes it particularly valuable for large-scale infrastructure monitoring and smart city applications. Full article

Purpose—This research paper examines the critical factors in customer satisfaction while purchasing fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets. Design/methodology/approach—This study was conducted using a prepared questionnaire to collect data on a random sample of 235 customers of farmers’ markets in the state of Maharashtra, India. The research was carried out in the year 2023. Seven hypotheses were tested concerning the relationships between the variables of interest. The variables of convenience, variety, quality, price, health and hygiene, and service conditions were used as independent constructs and were proxied by reflective indicators. Customer satisfaction and customer loyalty were treated as an exogenous variable and an endogenous variable, respectively. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the model relationships and confirm the theoretical model. Findings—The findings validate all the reflective indicators used in the study. The latent variables of convenience, variety, quality, price, health and hygiene, and service conditions positively and significantly affect customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction positively and significantly affects customer loyalty toward farmers’ markets. The structural equation explains approximately 55% of the variation in customer satisfaction related to convenience, variety, price, quality, health and hygiene, and service conditions. Significance—The study results provide insights into the factors that influence consumer behavior and attitudes toward farmers’ markets. By identifying these predictors, this study can help farmers’ markets and other stakeholders develop effective marketing strategies to attract and retain customers, ultimately promoting sustainable food production and consumption. Additionally, the results can inform policymakers on how to support and promote farmers’ markets as healthy and sustainable food sources. Practical implication—By implementing the practical suggestions derived from the implications of this research, farmers’ markets can optimize customer satisfaction, boost customer loyalty, and reinforce their position as valuable contributors to local communities’ well-being and sustainability. Originality/value—The acceptance of farmers’ markets in India as an alternative shopping destination for fruits and vegetables is gradually increasing. This exploratory study conducted on farmers’ markets examined several factors, including price, in assessing customer satisfaction and farmers’ markets’ effectiveness at positioning themselves as shopping destinations for consumers in India. Full article

Olive oil and its derivatives, particularly polyphenol-rich extracts, are valued for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative properties. Olive mill wastewater (OMWW), a byproduct of olive oil production, traditionally seen as an environmental pollutant, has emerged as a promising source of high-value dermatological ingredients. Key polyphenols such as hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, and tyrosol exhibit potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and photoprotective effects. These compounds mitigate oxidative stress, prevent collagen degradation, modulate NF-κB and MAPK signaling, and promote cellular repair and regeneration. Skin health is increasingly recognized as crucial to overall well-being, driving interest in cosmeceuticals that combine cosmetic benefits with dermatological activity. This review examines the cosmeceutical and dermatological potential of OMWW, highlighting its incorporation into innovative topical formulations like oil-in-water nanoemulsions, liposomes, and microneedles that enhance skin penetration and bioavailability. Additionally, OMWW fractions have shown selective antiproliferative effects on melanoma cells, suggesting potential for skin cancer prevention. Valorization of OMWW through biorefinery processes aligns with circular-economy principles, converting agro-industrial waste into sustainable cosmeceutical ingredients. This approach not only meets consumer demand for natural, effective products, but also reduces the ecological footprint of olive oil production, offering a scalable, eco-friendly strategy for next-generation dermatological applications. Full article

Background/Objective: The impact that lifestyle has on someone’s health has been widely proven. And the lifestyle can also be highly influenced by the sociodemographic background; however, there is less literature that focuses on this matter. Hence, the objective of the present study is to analyze the influence of sociodemographic variables on the lifestyle of the adult population. Methods: A cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted in 20 health centers of the Community of Madrid (Spain). A total of 365 participants were scheduled for nursing consultations and recruited through systematic probabilistic sampling. Lifestyle was assessed using the “Ponte a 100” questionnaire; based on the total score achieved by the participants, these were categorized into four groups depending on their need to adopt healthier lifestyle habits: minimal need (80–100 points), mild need (60–79 points), moderate need (40–59 points), and high need (<39 points). Results: Values ranged from 23 to 98 points in the Lifestyle Index (ISEV), with an average of 71.8 (SD = 14.6 points). Older individuals had better eating habits (β = −1.982), while younger individuals had better physical activity habits and a higher consumption of toxic substances. Men consumed more alcohol (β = −2.307) and felt happier with their lives, while women took more active breaks. Being a student was associated with higher levels of stress and anxiety, lower physical activity and leisure time, and higher alcohol consumption. Retirees had better emotional well-being indices (β = 0.999). Lower income levels were associated with occasional drug use and poorer emotional well-being. People with university degrees had better emotional states (β = 0.861) and better eating habits (β = 1.652) and engaged in more intense physical activity. Having no chronic diseases was related to being more physically active (β = 1.789). Conclusions: The study population generally presents a healthy lifestyle. The dimension of emotional well-being was the most influenced by sociodemographic factors. This study contributes to understanding the impact of socioeconomic variables on lifestyle. Full article

To develop interventions and policies to promote healthy and sustainable diets during times of crisis, it is important to understand how populations respond to such situations based on real-life examples. Using the recent COVID-19 pandemic as a case study to identify risk and protective factors for such situations, we implemented the first longitudinal mixed-methods approach of this topic to date. Data were collected from a sample of UK parents (stratified for gender and socioeconomic status) through two surveys and a set of focus groups during the pandemic. The focus groups identified multifaceted drivers of change linked to capability (e.g., shielding), opportunity (e.g., time, food access and availability), and motivation (e.g., reflective motivation, stress and mental health challenges) barriers. High levels of COVID-19 stress were linked with less healthy and sustainable diets in the survey results, while higher social cohesion, reflective motivation to consume healthy foods, and positive coping scores were protective, and linked to healthier and more sustainable diets. A range of coping strategies were identified, including home cooking and meal planning, which could provide a basis for future intervention development to reduce stress, maintain wellbeing, and improve dietary outcomes in future crisis situations. Full article

International thermal comfort requirements, such as ASHRAE standards, are used for classroom design in many countries, such as Australia, despite these standards serving thermal preferences for adult office workers in the USA or Europe. Subjected to mismatched thermal guidelines, students can be thermally uncomfortable in classrooms that are not correctly designed for their needs, and education buildings may consume significant energy on heating and cooling that is not appropriate to the location. The objective of this study is to critically examine the appropriateness of ASHRAE thermal comfort standards for classrooms in climates equivalent to New South Wales, Australia. Through a systematised literature review, this paper presents findings in four key areas: the relationship between thermal comfort and (i) local climate areas, (ii) classroom building types, (iii) students’ thermal comfort preferences and (iv) air conditioning. The research finds that international thermal comfort standards do not always provide suitable guidance for classrooms in diverse climate zones. The research identifies that reliance on mechanical heating and cooling can fail to meet students’ thermal comfort needs and undermines global environmental sustainability goals. This paper recommends localised thermal comfort benchmarks tailored to NSW’s climatic and educational contexts, contributing to improved classroom design, student wellbeing and energy-efficient learning environments. Full article

Eco-friendly packaging for functional foods aims to reduce environmental impact while maintaining product integrity and ensuring consumer safety. Both the food industry and consumers must transition toward packaging solutions that are sustainable, biodegradable, and non-toxic. Among the key benefits of using environmentally friendly materials for functional food packaging are their sustainability, growing consumer preference, and regulatory compliance. Functional foods are products that offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition, such as enhancing immunity, improving digestion, or promoting overall well-being. This review emphasizes that the packaging of functional foods using an eco-friendly design approach is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the consumers’ preferences. It included the definition and regulatory framework of functional foods, the bioactivity and health effects of bioactive compounds/microorganisms, packaging requirements and solutions for functional foods, as well as conventional and innovative analytical techniques for bioactive compound analysis. Eco-friendly packaging for functional foods is environmentally vital for waste reduction, socially crucial for meeting conscious demand, and economically sound for driving sustainable innovation and green markets. Full article