Price and participation in Indiana school food services
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting NSLP participation and price and assess their impacts. The dependent variables for this study were participation and price. Average Daily Participation (ADP) was used as a participation rate, and the following specific participation rates were used for the respective models: paid-lunch participation and reduced-price lunch participation. The data used for this study were obtained from Indiana Department of Education and contained the data for the month of October 1997. Multiple regression models were performed as the final analyses to determine the factors affecting NSLP participation and price. The results of this study indicated that school variable factors were important in determining NSLP participation decisions. The variables which affect paid-lunch participation were School Breakfast Program, types of kitchen (on-site or satellite kitchens), campus (open vs. closed), levels of schools, price of lunch, school enrollment, number of students approved for free and reduced-price lunch. From the results, price was a major determinant in deciding whether a student participates in the NSLP or not. With the price elasticity of 0.81, lunch price has a large impact on the change of paid lunch participation. As well as being as an independent variable, price behaved as a dependent variable also in the study. For the price model, paid-lunch participation was also a significant independent variable affecting lunch price. The other variables significantly affecting lunch price were School Breakfast Program, offer vs. serve, types of kitchen (on-site or satellite kitchens), campus (open vs. closed), levels of schools, school enrollment, number of students approved for free lunch. Although earlier studies had been done to find factors affecting NSLP participation, this current study has made some efforts to add more to the literature in four ways: (1) this study is the most recent one providing factors associated with NSLP participation since there was no research on this topic in the 1990s, (2) it is the first study on NSLP participation in Indiana school food service operations, (3) it is based on a larger data set than most earlier studies, and (4) it incorporates school level rather than district level data in most studies.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Almanza, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Nutrition|Home economics
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