Ethnic Differences in the Food Intake Patterns and Its Association Factors of Adolescents in Malaysia

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify dietary patterns and its association with socio-economic, dietary and lifestyle practices among adolescents in Malaysia. Methods: A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary patterns. Results: Multivariate analyses show that age and physical activity (PA) levels were emerged as positive determinants of healthy-based food pattern in Malay (All, p<0.001), whereas higher consumption of eating-out from home (EatOut) and fast food (All, p<0.05) were negative determinants. High weekly breakfast skipping (p<0.001) and EatOut (p<0.01) were positively associated with a western-based pattern, whereas age (p<0.001) and household income (p<0.05) were negative determinants. Higher frequency of daily snacking (p<0.05) was emerged as positive determinant of local-based food pattern. For Chinese adolescents, age (p<0.001), PA levels (p<0.001) and maternal education level (p<0.05) emerged as positive determinants for the healthy-based pattern, whereas high EatOut and fast food intakes (All, p<0.01) were negative determinants. Higher weekly consumption of EatOut (p<0.01), fast food (p<0.05) and carbonated beverages (p<0.05), and daily snacking practice (p<0.01) were positively associated with higher western-based food pattern, whereas age (p<0.01) was inversely associated. Conclusion: These findings suggest that unhealthy dietary and lifestyle practices could increase the risk of adherence to unhealthy western-based food pattern that is high in fat, sugar and salt contents, and consequently increase the risk of developing obesity and metabolic-related disorders during these critical years of growth.

Is fast-food consumption a problem among adolescents in Malaysia? An analysis of the National School-Based Nutrition Survey, 2012

“…Non-Chinese adolescents were more likely to consume fast food than Chinese adolescents. The findings from this study are also in line with a previous Malaysian study that found Chinese adolescents consumed healthier food than Malay adolescents [ 21 ]. Two possible reasons for the ethnic differences in fast-food consumption were identified.…”

“…The finding of this study contradicts with other studies [ 19 , 20 ]. A previous study found that adolescent girls were more likely to visit fast-food outlets in special days to meet with friends or family than boys especially in city centres [ 21 ]. Another previous study disclosed that the main reasons of adolescent girls consuming fast food were enjoying the taste of fast food and favouring the convenience of the fast-food restaurants [ 22 ].…”

“…This finding is reasonable because chicken-based, bread-based, and fish-based fast food were the favourite fast-food items among young Malaysians [ 35 ]. This study suggests that adolescents who consumed fast food often linked to imbalanced dietary intake which may increase the risk of having non-communicable diseases among adolescents [ 21 ].…”