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FACTORS INFLUENCING FOOD CHOICES AMONG INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL UNIVERSITY (IMU) STUDENTS
Ku Ahmad Azmeel Bin Ku Muhsen, Ng Ai Kah, Jamilah Abd Jamil, Winnie Chee Siew Swee, Ankur Barua
Division of Nutrition & Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, International Medical University.
Dept of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, International Medical University
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: We conducted a cross-sectional university-based study from November 2015 to June 2016 with the purpose of investigating the factors influencing eating on food choices among IMU, Bukit Jalil students using the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). A total of 285 students from Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences participated excluding the nutrition and dietetics students. A structured questionnaire, which consisted of questions on demographic, socioeconomic and information related to eating behaviour using FCQ and also information that assessed student’s knowledge, attitude and practice towards healthy eating, was employed as a data collection tool. FCQ includes ten factors which are health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, familiarity, ethical concern and religion. It was statistically significant if p-value <0.05.
RESULT: Sensory appeal, price and convenience were rated as the most important factor in making food choices among IMU students. In this study, knowledge was associated with Natural content factor (p<0.05). Ninety-one (67 %) of them were unsure about the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines. The student’s practice has almost equal correlation for all food choice factors (p<0.05), while the students’ attitude has most of its item correlation with Health factor and Price factor (p<0.05). Ethnicity and gender was found to be also associated towards healthy food choices among students in IMU.
CONCLUSION: The data analysis revealed that students’ choices towards food do have significant association with their knowledge in food science, attitudes towards general nutrition, food preparation and the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines and practice towards healthy eating.
Key Words: Food choices, IMU, Students