Food habits and health status of a rural coastal community in Samporna, Sabah
A cross-sectional study using stratified random sampling was conducted in seven coastal villages in Semporna to investigate the food habits and health status of young people (5 – 18 years; n=244) and adults (≥ 19 years; n=330). Socio-demography, meal pattern, dietary intake and medical history data...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
2020
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/42095/1/24%20PAGES.pdf https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/42095/2/FULLTEXT.pdf |
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| Summary: | A cross-sectional study using stratified random sampling was conducted in seven coastal villages in Semporna to investigate the food habits and health status of young people (5 – 18 years; n=244) and adults (≥ 19 years; n=330). Socio-demography, meal pattern, dietary intake and medical history data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Anthropometry, blood pressure, lipid profile and fasting blood glucose were obtained during health assessment. Results revealed that the young people and adults have maintained the traditional meal pattern whereby almost everyone reported consuming breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Only a few frequently skipped either breakfast or dinner. Nearly all reported energy intake below the Malaysian RNI recommendations. Majority of young people achieved the recommended carbohydrate and fat intakes. However, their protein intake exceeded the recommended level. Similar pattern of carbohydrate and protein intakes was observed among the adults, except for fat intake, where most of the adults did not achieve the recommended level. White rice appeared to be the staple food of this community, while only a few of the adults still included the Bajau ethnic cuisine namely cooked tapioca (aggang) in their diets. Fish was the main source of protein. Most of the young people were underweight (51.0%) and stunted (42.6%). On the other hand, the adults were mostly overweight (30.6%), obese (31.5%) and abdominally obese (61.2%). Only some of the adults had undergone health check-up for hypercholesterolemia (8.2%) and hypertension (31.8%) in the 12 months prior to the study. Hypercholesterolemia (42.4%) and hypertension (32.6%) appeared to be the most prevalent NCD among them. High consumption of carbohydrate and protein significantly increased the adults’ body mass index and waist circumference. Poor consumption of fruits and vegetables could be the potential cause of NCD among them. On the contrary, the nutritional status of young people was not associated with their food habits. This study indicates that prevalence of undernutrition in young people as well as overnutrition and NCDs in adults are of public health concerns in this rural coastal community. Results obtained suggest that nutrition and health education along with frequent health screening are crucial to manage these problems, as well as to avoid the prevalence from escalating in future. |
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