Document Detail


Using forecasting techniques to predict meal demand in Title IIIc congregate lunch programs.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  15281048     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine which forecasting model would most accurately predict meal demand in Title IIIc congregate lunch programs designed for serving older adults. Forecasting techniques including naïve, moving average (three versions) and simple exponential smoothing were applied to data collected over a 4-month period from seven meal sites located in a large urban area. An analysis of the forecasting models using mean absolute deviations and mean squared errors indicated that simple mathematical forecasting techniques provided better predictions of meal demand than did the naïve method for all sites. In four of the seven sites, exponential smoothing was the best forecasting model, whereas in the remaining sites, moving average models provided the best forecast. Implications are discussed.
Authors:
Lee Blecher
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Comparative Study; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of the American Dietetic Association     Volume:  104     ISSN:  0002-8223     ISO Abbreviation:  J Am Diet Assoc     Publication Date:  2004 Aug 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2004-07-28     Completed Date:  2004-08-31     Revised Date:  2006-11-15    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  7503061     Medline TA:  J Am Diet Assoc     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1281-3     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, 90840-0501, USA. blecher@csulb.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Aged
Food Services / trends,  utilization*
Forecasting / methods*
Health Services Needs and Demand / statistics & numerical data,  trends*
Humans
Mathematics
Middle Aged
Models, Statistical
Predictive Value of Tests
Sensitivity and Specificity

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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