Proceedings of 16th Agricultural Research Symposium(2017) 173-177

Willingness to Pay for a Balanced Diet

E.M.M.P.S. EKANAYAKE1, K.G.N. KANUWANA2 and J.C. EDIRISINGHE1

1Departmentof Agribusiness Management, Faculty of Agriculture and Plantation Management,

Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Makandura, Gonawila (NWP), 60170, Sri Lanka
2 National Youth Corps, Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, 420,
Bauddhaloka Mawatha,Colombo 07,Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT

Balanced diet plays a key role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The current study identifies the
acceptance towards a balanced diet among youth and how it is influenced by gender, educational level and
being a vegetarian. Primary data were collected by a questionnaire based survey from June to September,
2017 from a stratified random sample of 200 youth from Kurunegala district representing all 30 Divisional
Secretariats. Nine choice cards were generated for three “shaped plate” attributes including carbohydrate,
protein, vegetables and price. The outcomes of this research is based on a contemporary research technique,
Conjoint Analysis. Rank Ordered Logistic Regression method was used in analyzing the results which
revealed that all four attributes have shown a significant effect on selecting a diet by youth. In addition to
this, the research failed to identify a significant relationship between choice and demographic factors such as
gender, educational level and being a vegetarian. According to the results, it is obvious that majority of youth
consider the price and nutritional value of the diet .This study suggests the decision makers to widen up the
ways and means of spreading nutritional education for youth in macro environment in addition to school
based education.

KEYWORDS: Balanced diet, Choice experiment, Kurunegala district, Youth

INTRODUCTION is defined as people between 15-29 years of age.

Food is a basic need of humans. Apart
from its basic role, its impacts spread far
beyond its basic role. According to recent
statistics, a considerable percentage of Sri
Lankan population undergoes malnutrition
while another segment of people suffers from
obesity. In order to maintain a healthy life style,
diet consisting essential nutrients to a correct
proportion is vital.
A balanced diet is a diet that provides the
correct amounts of food energy and nutrients
needed during the day to cover the dietary
requirements of the person consuming it. A
balanced diet must be composed of a variety of
different food items from different food groups,
so that it contains essential macronutrients and
micronutrients that a person needs (Burgess and
Peter, 2004).
In fact, it has been revealed that in the long
run, malpractices in dietary intake in young age
will lead to an increase in the risk of acquiring
Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
Furthermore, the epidemic of NCDs in adults
reduces productivity and increases the cost of
health care. Among all the age groups, youth
can be identified as the most important category
which needs to consume a balanced diet as the
young people are the ones who contribute to the
country’s economic and social activities in the
near future. Therefore, nutrition related
wellbeing must be fulfilled adequately.
According to current Sri Lankan context, youth
(Ministry of Youth affairs and Skills
Development, 2014).
As far as the Sri Lankan cuisine is
considered, it shows a unique difference from
Western and Mediterranean diets. It mainly
consists of rice, vegetables, salads, and animal
and plant protein food items. Therefore, in this
research, the “shaped plate” introduced by
Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka has been
considered as the basic general balanced diet
plate suitable for Sri Lankans.
According to Ministry of Health, a plate
with a balanced diet should comprise 50%
carbohydrate, 17% protein, and 33% vegetables
and greens of 100% of total plate. Fruits are not
included separately but it can be consumed as a
part of a salad portion. Similarly, statistics
reveal that fruit consumption is so low and 90%
of fruit (The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce,
2015) produced in the country is exported,
affecting both price and availability According
to former literature, there has never been a
proper comprehensive dietary intake study on
what people in Sri Lanka really eat.
A market survey of average prices of fresh
produce in markets, states that a normal family
would need Rs.450 per day to fulfil the 33% on
the plate (Tillekerathne, 2015). If so, when there
are 4 members in a family, it will cost around
Rs125 per person per meal.
Results of a British research conducted in
1999 unveil that to achieve a certain healthy

173
 Ekanayake et al.

diet, independent predictive factors were Identification of Choice Alternatives

spending more money, being a vegetarian, In this research, “shaped plate” introduced
having a higher energy intake, having a lower by Ministry of Health Sri Lanka has been
body mass index (BMI) and being older (Cade considered as the general balanced diet plate
et al., 1999). Furthermore, there is some suitable for Sri Lankans. Balanced diet plate
evidence that nutrition concern among youth contains 50% of carbohydrate 17% of protein
was high regardless of income or education and 33% of vegetables out of 100% of the total
level (Dittus et a.l., 1995). plate is used in the level 1(Table 1). Level 2
Additionally, Soyar et al. (2008) mentions contains constituents similar to a common
young consumers within the selected age group western type plate and level 3 contains
(11-16 years) were clearly very aware of constituents of food which are available in
healthy eating requirements. Yet very slight normal canteens in Sri Lanka.
differences occur between females and males
relating to such knowledge. Results also Data Collection and Analysis
indicated that there were no outward differences Data were collected from 200 youth of age
between the two age groups (11-13 and 14-16 in between 15-29 years. Survey was conducted
years), by both genders, regarding their healthy in Kurunegala district representing all 30
eating awareness. Furthermore, young Divisional Secretarial divisions in Kurunegala
consumers’ food preferences within the school district. In order to reach youth in Ibbagamuwa,
and social environments did not indicate a Ganewaththa, Ridigama, and Mawathagama
contrasting difference. DS divisions, trainees of National Youth
According to Brown et al. (2000), the Council has given their support. Rank Ordered
school environment was considered as a Logistic Regression was employed to assess the
“seedbed'' for nutritional education to be relationships between the choice and the
nurtured and, the school was cited as being the attributes (carbohydrate, protein, vegetables)
prime medium for nutritional education by using STATA 14.
young consumers from both gender groups. On
a positive note to the above, education until the
14 years of age is compulsory and free in Sri
Lanka. Majority of the students, 86.1% study
until upper secondary level (United Nations Sri
Lanka, 2015).
Apart from above and other similar
research, the relationships between willingness
to accept and four attributes, price,
carbohydrate, protein and vegetables content
hasn’t been researched before.
Therefore, the purpose of this research is
to identify the willingness to pay for a balanced
diet with special focus on identifying the
relative willingness and to investigate whether
socio economic characteristics play an
important role on the choice.

METHODOLOGY
Basics of Conjoint Analysis
As this research study involves the study
of consumer perceptions, preferences, and
choices in a set of choice situations, Conjoint
Analysis was selected as technique of analysis.
It is concerned with determining the joint effect Figure 1. Map of the location of Kurunegala
of levels of two or more attributes of stimuli on district
the total evaluative judgments of a set of
stimuli. Conjoint methods have been applied in Experimental Design
a large number of applied marketing research Kurunegala district was used, as it is one
projects like product design optimization of the largest districts in Sri Lanka, which has a
(Green et al.,1981) and consumer preferences moderate representation of demographical
on food additives (Szucs et al., 2014). factors (Figure 1).
 Willingness to Pay for a Balanced Diet

Preliminary questionnaire was validated relevant name, carbohydrate, protein,

by piloting with a representative sample of 20
respondents. Face to face interviews were
conducted among 200 randomly selected
respondents in Kurunegala district youth
representing all 30 DS divisions (Figure 2).
vegetables and greens (Figure 3). Price was
indicated above each plate.
Pictures make the evaluation task more
interesting for the respondent and reduce
information load in the verbal descriptions.
Further, pictures increase the perceptual
homogeneity across respondents.

Figure 3. Model of a shaped plate

However, the use of pictures allows for

Figure 2. Data collected divisional interaction effects to become more prominent in
secretariates the evaluation process (Rao, 2014). The
purpose of using graphical choice card is to
Questionnaire consisted of two parts. improve the ability to understand the choice
Personal Details: Personal details cards and to motivate the respondent to
questionnaire contains demographic factors concentrate their mind on the questionnaire.
(age, ethnicity, religion, domestic income, However previous literature about this
educational level) and vegetarians were regarding nutrition aspect is not available
evaluated. according to our knowledge.
Choice cards: Nine choice cards were
generated using SPSS 14. All 9 cards were used Table 1.Attributes and their levels used
without blocking. Attribute Attribute levels
Choice cards were presented pictorially as 50%
food plates indicating their price, Carbohydrate 26%
carbohydrates, protein, vegetables attributes. 75%
The use of pictures or visual props is considered 17%
as a good method for describing product Protein 24%
concepts that involve larger numbers of 9%
attributes and levels within an attribute. (Rao, 33%
2014). Microsoft Excel was used in Vegetables 50%
estimating the portion sizes and GIMP 2 16%
software was used for graphical designing of 150/=
the nine choice cards. Price 220/=
In each choice card, carbohydrate portion 80/=
was represented by a picture of rice, bread and
potatoes. Protein section of cards was depicted Respondents were asked to rate the choice
by a picture of a fish, meat, egg, dhal and peas. cards from 1-9 and fill the personal details
Similarly, vegetable and greens section was questionnaire.
presented by an image consisting of a tomato, a
carrot, green leaves, leaks and a cucumber.
Each portion was named according to their
 Ekanayake et al.

and free and 86.1% of students study until

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION upper secondary level. According to the
Descriptive Statistics of the Sample statistics of UNESCO Institute of Statistics,
This enables to obtain an overall idea Literacy rate among youth in Sri Lanka is
about the relationship between choice and other 98.15% (2010).
attributes used as well as the influence of
gender, education and being a vegetarian on the Table 4. Results of regression analysis
choice of youth (Table 2). Choice Β P Value
Gender -0.006 0.962
Table 2. Descriptive statistics of sample Education 0.005 0.985
Demographic Segment Number Vegetarian 0.007 0.998
character N=200
Cons 5.001 0.000
Gender Male 76
Female 124
Education Secondary 130 Hence nutrition related education is
Tertiary 70 included in lower secondary level of schools
Vegetarian Vegetarian 20 and when students reach the age of 15, they are
Non vegetarian 180 somewhat aware of the importance of having a
balanced diet. In addition to this, it is a proven
Data were analyzed by using STATA 14. fact that school based environmental strategies
The outcomes of the Rank Ordered Logistic can promote healthy eating among young
Regression, convinced that there is a significant people (Wechsler et al., 2000). Accordingly,
relationship between choice and price of the there is some evidence that when the
meal. Similarly, it is manifested that the choice educational level increases, consumers are less
depends on the protein percentage. worried about food safety issues (Dosman et
Furthermore, choice and vegetables percentage al., 2001).
demonstrate a significant dependence while According to the results impact of gender
choice and the carbohydrate percentage also is not significant among youth (Table 4). It
represents a significant relationship between might be present due to the existing 100%
them (Table 3). gender parity among secondary and tertiary
education in Sri Lanka ( United nations Sri
Table 3. Results of ROL regression Lanka, 2015). Similarly, it is said that there is a
Choice Coefficient P very slight difference present between females
Value and males relating to nutritional knowledge
Carbohydrate -0.014 0.000 (Soyar et al., 2008).
Protein 0.018 0.000
Vegetables 0.014 0.000 CONCLUSIONS
Price -0.001 0.026 The study revealed that the majority of
youth consider nutritional value of the diet
According to the results of Rank Ordered .Then price comes front, since gender,
Logistic Regression (ROL Regression) educational level and being a vegetarian haven’t
following outcomes were generated by revealed a significant impact in choosing food
calculating the ratios of coefficients ( 𝛽1 ). by Sri Lankan youth. As the majority of the
𝛽2
youth prefer to eat a balance diet and the major
When considering about the relative
burden towards the willingness is the cost of
proportion of co efficient values of protein and
food, policy makers can take necessary steps to
price, it indicates a value of -18. And relative
promote home gardening and educate families
proportion of co efficient values of protein and
on accessing nutritious food items that are
vegetables resulted a value of 1.28. Then the
available in locality. Furthermore, school based
relative proportion of co efficient values of
education has shown a significant effect on food
protein and carbohydrate depicts a value of
choices among youth while macro
1.28, while carbohydrates and vegetables,
environment and tertiary education hasn’t
indicates -1 ratio. Further, ratios of both
impacted in a considerable manner. This study
carbohydrates to price, vegetables to price
explored being a vegetarian is not significant in
indicates a value of 14, -14 respectively.
selecting a balanced diet. Gender difference
There is no significant difference between
demonstrate a gender equality in food choices
food choices among youth who have learnt up
among youth.
to secondary level of education and tertiary
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
level of education (Table 4).
The authors would like to express their
In fact according to current Sri Lankan
sincere gratitude to all the respondents and
context, education until Grade 9 is compulsory
 Willingness to Pay for a Balanced Diet
National Youth Corps for their time and support
given.
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