Papers by Nimanthika Lokuge
Whilst being accountable for an increasing trend in mortality and morbidity, Chronic Kidney Disea... more Whilst being accountable for an increasing trend in mortality and morbidity, Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown aetiology (CKDu) has become a severe burden in Sri Lanka. Even though there is no sound evidence to clarify the aetiology of CKDu, it will be worthwhile to seek out the possible measures to minimize the prevalence of the disease. Hence, this study was intended to examine the impact of water treatment and preventive measures on CKDu. Data were collected from the farming community who applies agrochemicals. Both a probit and a Logit regression were carried out to check whether there is any relationship between CKDu and related variables such as consumption of treated water and adopting safety precautions. Results reveal that age, being a male, using deep wells as a source of drinking water, and long term medication increases the probability of getting the disease while, both preventive measures and water treatment significantly reduce this probability. Therefore, ensuring an adequate supply of treated water, especially for the severely affected villages is vital. Furthermore, both government and non-government institutions should work responsibly to increase the awareness of CKDu and safety precautions, in order to save the future generation.
Due to high prevalence of dietary diseases and malnutrition in Sri Lanka, it is essential to asse... more Due to high prevalence of dietary diseases and malnutrition in Sri Lanka, it is essential to assess food consumption patterns. Because pulses are a major source of nutrients, this paper employed the Linear Approximation of the Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS) to estimate price and expenditure elasticities for six types of pulses, by utilizing the Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 2006/07. The infrequency of purchases, a typical problem encountered in LA/AIDS estimation is circumvented by using a probit regression in the first stage, to capture the effect of demographic factors, in consumption choice. Results reveal that the buying decision of pulses is influenced by the sector (rural, urban and estate), household size, education level, presence of children, prevalence of blood pressure and diabetes. All pulses types except dhal are highly responsive to their own prices. Dhal is identified as the most prominent choice among all other alternatives and hence, it is distinguished as a necessity whereas, the rest show luxurious behavior, with the income. Because dhal is an import product, consumption choices of dhal may be severely affected by any action which exporting countries introduce, while rest of the pulses will be affected by both price and income oriented policies.
Whilst being accountable for an increasing trend in mortality and morbidity, Chronic Kidney Dis- ... more Whilst being accountable for an increasing trend in mortality and morbidity, Chronic Kidney Dis- ease of unknown aetiology (CKDu) has become a severe burden in Sri Lanka. Even though there is no sound evidence to clarify the aetiology of CKDu, it will be worthwhile to seek out the possible measures to minimize the prevalence of the disease. Hence, this study was intended to examine the impact of water treatment and preventive measures on CKDu. Data were collected from the farm- ing community who applies agrochemicals. Both a probit and a Logit regression were carried out to check whether there is any relationship between CKDu and related variables such as consump- tion of treated water and adopting safety precautions. Results reveal that age, being a male, using deep wells as a source of drinking water, and long term medication increases the probability of getting the disease while, both preventive measures and water treatment significantly reduce this probability. Therefore, ensuring an adequate supply of treated water, especially for the severely affected villages is vital. Furthermore, both government and non-government institutions should work responsibly to increase the awareness of CKDu and safety precautions, in order to save the future generation.
Being the leading segment in the livestock sector in Sri Lanka, the dairy sector... more Being the leading segment in the livestock sector in Sri Lanka, the dairy sector still is incapable of meeting at least half of the domestic requirement. Moreover, the annual per capita consumption of milk remains lower than the recommended level for an average Sri Lankan. Hence, this study intends to present price and expenditure elasticities, in order to discover the consumption behaviour of five types of dairy products. Further, this aims to determine the impact of demographic factors which influence the dietary choices of those dairy produce. This paper employed the Linear Approximation of the Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS) to estimate price and
expenditure elasticities, by utilizing the Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 2006/07. The infrequency of purchases, a typical problem encountered in LA/AIDS estimation is circumvented by using a probit regression in the first stage, to capture the effect of demographic factors, in consumption choice. Results reveal that, Sri Lankans consume these milk produce regardless of the area
they live, size of the household, gender of the household head, education level of the head and spouse, prevalence of heart diseases and diabetes, while incidence of having young children and blood pressure will have a significant impact. All milk products except milk powder are highly responsive to their own prices. Fresh milk, milk powder and infant milk powder are identified as necessities whereas, the rest show luxurious behavior, with the income. However, demand for dairy products will be more influenced by price related policies than income oriented policies. Because milk powder is both price and income inelastic, and most are imported, any restriction would massively affect the demand for milk powder. Moreover, while identifying consumers’ needs and wants through various research studies, domestic production should be promoted to meet the current demand
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Papers by Nimanthika Lokuge
expenditure elasticities, by utilizing the Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 2006/07. The infrequency of purchases, a typical problem encountered in LA/AIDS estimation is circumvented by using a probit regression in the first stage, to capture the effect of demographic factors, in consumption choice. Results reveal that, Sri Lankans consume these milk produce regardless of the area
they live, size of the household, gender of the household head, education level of the head and spouse, prevalence of heart diseases and diabetes, while incidence of having young children and blood pressure will have a significant impact. All milk products except milk powder are highly responsive to their own prices. Fresh milk, milk powder and infant milk powder are identified as necessities whereas, the rest show luxurious behavior, with the income. However, demand for dairy products will be more influenced by price related policies than income oriented policies. Because milk powder is both price and income inelastic, and most are imported, any restriction would massively affect the demand for milk powder. Moreover, while identifying consumers’ needs and wants through various research studies, domestic production should be promoted to meet the current demand
expenditure elasticities, by utilizing the Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 2006/07. The infrequency of purchases, a typical problem encountered in LA/AIDS estimation is circumvented by using a probit regression in the first stage, to capture the effect of demographic factors, in consumption choice. Results reveal that, Sri Lankans consume these milk produce regardless of the area
they live, size of the household, gender of the household head, education level of the head and spouse, prevalence of heart diseases and diabetes, while incidence of having young children and blood pressure will have a significant impact. All milk products except milk powder are highly responsive to their own prices. Fresh milk, milk powder and infant milk powder are identified as necessities whereas, the rest show luxurious behavior, with the income. However, demand for dairy products will be more influenced by price related policies than income oriented policies. Because milk powder is both price and income inelastic, and most are imported, any restriction would massively affect the demand for milk powder. Moreover, while identifying consumers’ needs and wants through various research studies, domestic production should be promoted to meet the current demand