ABSTRACT. This current research endeavors to study important factors having significant impact on consumer's choice of beverages in Punjab province of Pakistan. Beverages in two major categories of 'hot' and 'cold' have been studied to examine consumer consumption pattern. Data has been collected through interview from 80 respondents belonging to two major cities of Punjab, i.e. Lahore and Faisalabad, by incorporating stratified random sampling technique. These two cities of Punjab were selected because of big departmental stores opening like Metro Cash and Carry store, Al-Fateh and others. A pre tested and wellarranged questionnaire was used for data gathering from respondents. To estimate the outcome of factors affecting choices of consumers (demand function), multivariate analysis was incorporated. Results of this research showed that consumption pattern of cold beverages was affected significantly by consumer income, cold beverages prices, city selected for survey and number of adolescents in a family, whereas factors which affected the consumption of hot beverages were food expenditure, living area, marital status, income, working persons in a family, family size. Due to availability of copious brands of beverages, consumption is escalating with the passage of time and consumers are eager to pay but owing to high rates they are not relishing full taste of beverages. So, local industry should produce cost effective and quality drinks to enhance usage.
Objective: To assess the discrepancy in terms of history related to coronavirus disease-2019 and symptoms given in the pre-clinic triage and to the doctor attending the patient in a gastroenterology clinic.
Method: The observational study was conducted from September 2020 to January 2021 at the Gastroenterology outpatient department of Dr Ziauddin Hospital’s Clifton unit in Karachi, and comprised all patients visiting the facility regardless of age and gender. Data was collected using a questionnaire that was first filled up by the receptionist outside the clinic and was then administered again once the patient entered the clinic. Discrepancy on the answers was then checked and associations were determined with clinical assessment. Data was analysed using SPSS 20.
Results: Of the 300 patients, 184(61.3%) were males and 116(38.6%) were females. The overall mean age was 55 ± 16.98 (range: 18-92 years). Discrepancy between pre-clinic and in-clinic self-reported data was significant for fever, cough, fatigue, headache, body ache, diarrhoea, sore throat, loss of sense of smell/taste, shortness of breath, and contact with someone positive for coronavirus disease-2019 was significant (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Patients were found to be afraid of getting barred from seeing a consultant, had fear of hospital-based isolation or were in denial regarding the pandemic.
Key Words: COVID-19, Triage, Questionnaire, Screening, Symptoms.
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