ABSTRACT
Spas were attracting visitors since ancient times. Study aims to monitor the changes in spa tourism statistics in the period of 2010-2020 for the selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia), with particular attention given to the average development rate (ADR) and average growth rate (AGR), and overnight stays and an average length of stay. The reference to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on overnight stays and an average length of stay was discussed as well. Moreover, upon analysis of the existing tourism data for the period of 2010-2020, prediction of the post-pandemic period (until 2023-2025) was also implemented with the use of a linear model. In addition, using the broad criteria of a four-night stay as a minimum stay for medical treatments, Serbia has shown the characteristics of a medical spa, while Slovenia and Croatia could be characterized as "wellness medical", and finally Hungary was considered as a wellness spa destination.
ABSTRACT
With low investment, countryside walking tourism contributes to the rapid recovery of rural tourism in the post-covid time. The research purpose is to examine factors that impact the interest of tourists in the state-supported countryside walking tourism. The sample consisted of 467 respondents from the general public. The SPSS software was used for processing data. The results indicated that safety, content, and price are the most influential factors. For females, slightly more important factors were related to the possibility of consuming authentic food and beverages, buying traditional handmade products, the inclusion of the local population, and the well-being of urban residents. A village, with authentic local houses and cuisine, and local tour guides, are the epicenter of countryside walking tourism. Embedding countryside walking tourism in sustainable rural tourism development policies is recommended. The research contributes to the integration between sustainable rural development and sustainable tourism development.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 virus pandemic has led to huge changes in the business of many companies. Managers and owners of companies were most affected, so in one segment of this paper, certain psychological ways that are available to people when it comes to overcoming various crises. Considering that profitable business is a condition for the survival of companies, in this paper, a comparison of profitability in the production of organic and conventional food was performed. ROA and ROE were calculated on a sample of 150 food producers in our country for the period from 2016 to 2020. The results showed that ROA is higher in conventional food producers, while ROE is higher in organic food producers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the profitability of food producers is higher than in the period before its outbreak. Also, there is a tendency to increase profitability in both types of production.
ABSTRACT
One of the main requirements of modern society, and for the sake of its survival, is the formation of socially responsible behavior towards the greatly endangered environment. Every day we are faced with the problems of pollution, global warming, depletion of the ozone layer and many others. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to influence the youngest generations to develop attitudes that will develop a high awareness of the need to protect nature and how to treat it. In this sense, today, and for the sake of the future, we must actively work on the development of pro-environmental attitudes in children, which would manifest themselves in pro-environmental behavior tomorrow. The development of this cognitive component, that is, the attitude requires the society to instil in the child knowledge about nature, its benefits, but also its demands and the inseparability of man from it, which affects the child's affective relationship towards it, the feeling of attachment to the environment that becomes an integral part of values. With their conative component, attitudes also initiate individuals to act. This especially necessary during the current COVID-19 pandemic and the unresolved question of the origin of the virus. Was it created artificially in laboratories or is it of natural origin, as nature's response to man's relationship to it. Some studies show that children in the first grades of elementary school understand the phenomenon of environmental pollution, they even know about different types of pollution, but they still do not understand the causes of these events. Therefore, although there is not much research dealing with this problem, we consider it important to analyse current knowledge about the psychological factors influencing the development of pro-environmental attitudes in children.
ABSTRACT
Background: Cancer patients are more sensitive to infection induced by SARS-CoV-2, especially ones with impaired immune response. Vaccines are approved as safe and effective, and they are recommended in oncology patients. The aim of our study was to see the percentage of reinfections after second dose of vaccines against SARS-CoV2.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 is an unpredictable disease that can lead to multiorgan dysfunctions. There is a high frequency of venous and arterial thrombosis, among other symptoms. Spontaneous bleeding in COVID-19 patients has also been described, but rarely, whether or not they are on anticoagulant therapy. We report a case of a 65-year-old female COVID-19 patient treated in our hospital. During the hospitalisation, she experienced sudden, severe pain in the lower part of the abdomen and had signs of hemorrhagic shock. CT of the abdomen and pelvis revealed a spontaneous giant haematoma of the anterior abdominal wall. A surgical procedure was done. We identified spontaneous bleeding in the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall. The patient recovered well. Rapid diagnosis and timely intervention are crucial to ensure a good patient outcome.
ABSTRACT
The pandemic caused by the Covid-19 virus significantly affected the consumers' behavior. The subject of the paper is to analyze the consumer characteristics, the consumer attitudes towards organic food products, as well as the changes in the consumer behavior. The research was performed in 2021 in the Republic of Serbia. The statistical software package SPSS has been utilized for data analysis. Our findings show that, in times of COVID-19 pandemic, the consumers have a very positive perception of nutritional values of organic food products with an expressed willingness to pay 20-30% more for the organic products, in regard to conventional products. The main reason for buying such products is less chemistry and child health. The main reason for insufficient consumption is the high price. The monthly income of irregular consumers of organic food products has predicted the willingness to pay, while the household size has predicted the assessment of the organic products nutritional properties.
ABSTRACT
The problem of excessive tourismhas overnight become an ideology and a part of the past. With the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic, the flow of tourist movements was abruptly interrupted, and thus the visits to restaurants. The aim of the research was to determine whether the fear of the users of the pandemic infection affects the intention to visit restaurants. The total number of respondents was 508, in 27 restaurants in the Republic of Serbia. The authors used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and multiple regression analysis with mediation for data processing. The research concluded that the perceived fears of the respondents may influence the decision to visit restaurants. The importance of research is reflected in the application of results in theory and practice, in order to facilitate business during the pandemic.
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Due to the spread of COVID-19 and the closing of the borders of a large number of countries, tourists' interest in domestic tourist destinations has grown. The objective of this paper is to identify future behaviour patterns of tourists and to propose measures that would affect the interest of domestic tourists in domestic destinations after COVID-19. The study starts with an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on global tourism, then focuses on trends in the tourism market in Serbia and ends by examining citizens' attitudes towards key factors for domestic tourism development. It is estimated that tourism can benefit from an essential understanding of tourists' demands for a safe journey. Research results indicate statistically significant differences in the attitudes of respondents in relation to age, gender and education, but most respondents believe that it is necessary for the state to invest more in tourist infrastructure and to adjust pricing policy to remain competitive domestic destinations after Covid-19.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has entirely changed the patterns of behavior in the market. Physical distance, quarantine measures, safety and security protocols, and shortages along the entire supply chain, have particularly affected the placement of food products. In this regard, the paper aims to define the impact of various indicators on the placement of food products during the COVID-19 pandemic. An empirical study was conducted on a sample of 248 final consumers. The survey was conducted during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the territory of the Republic of Serbia (February - April 2021). An online questionnaire was created and forwarded to consumers to e-mail addresses from the collected databases of trade companies covering the domestic market. The analysis was performed specifically for four groups of essential food products in a pandemic: meat and meat products, fruit and vegetables, milk and dairy products, cereals, and cereal products. The method of structural modeling (SEM) or path analysis was applied to test the first group of research hypotheses on the impact of indicators on the placement of food products. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the correlation between subcategories of food products. The results showed a statistically significant impact of indicators such as safety and security standards, hygiene, product freshness, nutritional composition, and product quality. The impact of these indicators differs significantly depending on the analyzed product group. The obtained results indicate to the supply chain management which negative impacts need to be minimized to ensure timely placement of food products and more efficiently meet the needs of final consumers in a pandemic. Guidelines for future research are listed in the paper.
ABSTRACT
Diseases caused by food consumed in restaurants during a pandemic, can cause enormous damage and lead to closure of rural households. The aim of the research was to determine the attitude of employees in rural households on the application and importance of doing business according to the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) food safety system in 47 rural tourist households in Serbia during the COVID-19 pandemic. A structured field survey questionnaire was conducted on a sample of 286 employees. The generated data were processed by the statistical program Statistica 14.0. The obtained results show that the application of HACCP food safety system during the pandemic was highly appreciated by the employees and that operating according good hygiene practice (GHP) and good manufacturing practice (GMP) fully meets all safety requirements and the extent to which employees in rural households must be aware of and be instructed in its application.
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Introduction/Objective. Data on the psychological consequences of social isolation imposed by the global public health threat of the SARS-CoV-2 viral pandemic are limited. Mentally healthy people and psychiatric patients react to stress in different ways. This study aims to examine the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 viral pandemic on the mental health of psychiatric patients compared to mentally healthy people. Methods. The study is designed as a cross-sectional study. It was conducted during April, May and June 2020 at the end and immediately after the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 viral pandemic in Serbia. Participants were divided into two groups - a clinical group of patients with mental disorders and a control group composed of healthy volunteers. A self-assessment questionnaire was used to collect data on the presence of anxiety and symptoms of depression and behavioral disorders that indicate increased levels of stress - such as insomnia, sedative abuse. Results. Anxiety, fear, panic attacks (80%), depressive symptoms (70%), sleep problems (81%) and sedative abuse (82%) were the most commonly reported psychiatric symptoms in the study group. Healthy subjects in the control group had statistically significantly less frequent presence of symptoms and signs associated with mental problems, although in this group the prevalence of symptoms of mental disorders is not negligible (anxiety, fear, panic attacks (40%), depressive symptoms (22%) and sedative abuse (10%)). Conclusion. The results support the negative impact of the SARS-CoV-2 viral pandemic on the mental health of psychiatric patients. It can be expected that the most pronounced effects of the pandemic on mental health in the general population will be visible in the future.
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Purpose: Recommendations and guidelines consider cancer patients a high-priority population for COVID-19 immunization. Vaccination process in Serbia began in January 2021 with four available vaccines. We have conducted a cross-sectional study investigating cancer patients' acceptability of anti SARS-COV2 vaccines.
ABSTRACT
The Mediterranean diet is considered an example of sustainable diets and an intangible cultural heritage of the whole humanity. However, attention to the Mediterranean diet changes from a country to another even within the Euro-Mediterranean region. In this context, this paper analyses the state of research on the Mediterranean diet in the Western Balkans (viz. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia). In particular, it explores whether and how environmental, economic, sociocultural, and nutrition-health aspects related to the sustainability of the Mediterranean diet are addressed. A search performed in June 2021 on the Web of Science returned 68 documents, and 41 of them were included in the systematic review. Most of the selected documents deal with Croatia, especially island regions, and focus on health-nutrition aspects while other sustainability dimensions are generally overlooked. The scholarly literature shows that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced risk of obesity, different non-communicable diseases (e.g. diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, metabolic syndrome) as well as mental illnesses. However, it also highlights a decrease in the Mediterranean diet adherence even in Mediterranean/Adriatic territories. Interestingly, some recent studies showed a shift towards the Mediterranean diet during the COVID-19 lockdown even among adolescents. The analysis suggests the need to adopt a holistic approach in studies on the Mediterranean diet to better understand the relationships between the sustainability dimensions and operationalize its contribution to the transformation of food systems and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Mediterranean region.