Food security and BMI status among adolescents �in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

Background/Aims: Food security can be defined as the availability of and accessibility to food, acquired in an acceptable means at any given time and place in a way that could maintain health and wellbeing. This study aimed to identify the food security status and the nutritional status of adolescents and to determine the associated factors. Methods: Five hundred and thirty secondary school students from district of Kuantan, Malaysia were measured for their weights and heights. A set of questionnaire containing two sections was used to obtain the sociodemographic data and food security information. The Radimer/Cornell Instrument (Malay version) was used to capture the severity of food insecurity. Results: The findings demonstrated that 23.4% of the respondents were food secure and 76.6% were food insecure, which were categorized into household food insecurity (31.5%), individual food insecurity (7.6%) and child hunger (37.5%). Furthermore, 60% have normal BMI-for-age, 9.2% were underweight, while 16.6% and 14.2% were overweight and obese. The prevalence of stunting was 11.7% while others were categorized as normal in terms of height-for-age z-score. Respondents with working mothers were found to be less likely to experience food insecurity compared to those with mothers who were not working (AOR 0.59; 95% CI: 0.34–0.97; p = 0.037). Conclusion: The high prevalence of food insecurity and increasing overweight and obesity incidents are a concern within this area. While food security element should be included in any intervention program addressing overweight and obesity, further research is needed to study the complex relationship between socio-demographic factors, food security and nutritional status

Restoran makanan segera: patutkah dibuka lebih banyak cawangan?

Suatu ketika dulu restoran makanan segera hanya terdapat di bandar besar. Saya masih ingat sekitar tahun 80an ketika masih di sekolah rendah, antara perkara yang menggembirakan saya ialah apabila ayah membawa kami sekeluarga ke Ipoh, kerana di situ adanya Pizza Hut. Tidak lama kemudian cawangannya juga dibuka di Bandar Taiping. Begitu juga dengan beberapa jenama restoran makanan segera yang lain, satu demi satu mengembangkan rangkaian mereka....

Measuring Food Insecurity in Wollongong

This study aim to establish a standard assessment measure of the extend of food insecurity in Australian communities

Nutritional status of schoolchildren in Kuantan, Pahang

This study aimed to determine the nutritional status among primary schoolchildren in Kuantan, Pahang and to map the distribution using Geographical Information System (GIS). This community based cross sectional study was conducted in Kuantan, Pahang. Stratified random sampling method was used to select schoolchildren from seven subdivision of Kuantan district. A total of 391 schoolchildren age 7 years old were recruited. Data was collected using a questionnaire consisted of questions on socio demographic and anthropometry measurement. Schools’ coordinate were recorded and Geographical Information System (GIS) software was used to map and visualize the distribution of schoolchildren according to nutritional status. Findings showed that 13.8% (n=54) of the children were having overweight and obesity, 10.5% (n=41) stunting and 9.5% cases of underweight (n=37). The mean for BMI-for-age z score (BMIAZ), height-for-age score (HAZ) and weight-for-age z score (WAZ) were 0.07(1.68), -0.64(1.105), and -0.32(1.68) respectively. There were significant difference of BMIAZ and WAZ between urban and rural area (p=0.016) and (p=0.033). There were no significant difference between the three anthropometric measurements with gender, (p=0.947), (p=0.551) and (p=0.613) respectively. There was a significant association between WAZ with income per capita (p=0.014) but there is no association between BMIAZ, HAZ and WAZ with other socio demographic factors including education, occupation and household size. This study shows that the nutritional status among schoolchildren in this area is a major concern. The results warrant the need for further investigation to identify the root causes of childhood obesity in order to develop informed policy, intervention programs and guidelines

Changes in health‑related lifestyles and food insecurity and its association with quality of life during the COVID‑19 lockdown in Malaysia

Background: The pandemic of SARS CoV2 virus has severely impacted the entire world population. The lockdown imposed during the pandemic has created enormous challenges particularly on the health, economic and social life of most individuals. This study aimed to investigate the changes in health-related lifestyle and food security during the lockdown and how they influenced the quality of life (QoL) of Malaysian adults. Methods: An online survey using a structured questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic, body weight, diet quality, physical activity, sleep quality, food insecurity, and QoL was conducted among adult respondents across Malaysia. Multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the associations between the changes in each component and QoL based on the total score before and during the lockdown. Results: A total of 759 valid responses were included in the final analysis (75% female and 24.5% male). There was a significant improvement in diet quality during the lockdown while sleep quality and food insecurity worsened significantly. As for physical activity, metabolic equivalents (METs) in moderate activity increased significantly, whilst there was a significant decrease in the METs in walking and total minutes spent on physical activity during the lockdown. Overall, independent of age, gender, ethnicity, and religion, there were significant associations between QoL during lockdown and changes in BMI, METs of moderate activity, sleep quality, and food insecurity. Conclusions: The unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak and the lockdown measure during the pandemic have caused significant negative changes in health-related lifestyles and affected the QoL of Malaysian adults. Despite the new norms and rules to prevent disease transmission, efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle and food security among the population must be rolled out to improve the QoL and prevent further adverse mental and physical health outcomes

Food security status and childhood obesity in Kuantan Pahang

Introduction: Food insecurity has become one of the concerning issues in public health. The purpose of this study was to investigate household food security status and its relationship with childhood obesity in Kuantan, Pahang. Methods:This comparative cross sectional study was conducted in Kuantan, Pahang among 128 mothers aged 18 to 55 years with the children aged 7 and 13 years. Data on food security status was collected using Radimer/Cornell hunger and food insecurity instrument through telephone call while children's height and weight as well as socio-demographic data were measured and obtained during schools visits. Results: A total of 23% of the respondents were food secure, while 77% experienced food insecurity. Within food insecure category, 52% were household food insecure, 9% women were individual food insecure and 16% fell into the child hunger category. Income (p=0.04), income per capita (p=0.033), household size (p=0.032) and area of living (p=0.001) were the significant risk factors for household food insecurity. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children were 60.6% in food insecure households which was higher compared to food-secure households (38.4%).However, there were no significant association between childhood obesity and food security status. Conclusion:This study demonstrates that the prevalence of food insecurity and childhood obesity in this Kuantan, Pahang is a major concern. The results warrant the need for further investigation to identify complex interaction between food insecurity and childhood obesity

Translation and content validation of Bahasa Malaysia version of the food insecurity experience scale (FIES)

INTRODUCTION: Food insecurity can be defined as the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate, safe foods or the inability to acquire foods in socially unacceptable ways. Food insecurity is recognized as a public health issue worldwide where it is clearly described under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 2: End hunger and achieve food security. To understand the complexity, multifaceted nature of food insecurity in Malaysia needs established tool and adequate data. This study aimed to translate and validate the English version of Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) into Bahasa Melayu (BM) by adopting the guideline of the World Health Organization (WHO) on questionnaire translation. METHODS Two forward and backward translations involving experts in food insecurity study and experts in language were done as stipulated in a guideline. Content validity by the experts and face validity by the target population were conducted as part of validation process. RESULT Content Validity Index (CVI) and FactorialValidity Index (FVI) was done to analyses content validity. RESULTS The harmonized BM version of FIES was produced with 100% CVI. However, FVI was inconsistent. Hence a factor analysis should be done to asses the full degree of FVI. CONCLUSION The full validation study of BM version FIES especially construct and criterion validity needed to be done before it is widely used to measure food insecurity in the population specifically Malaysian population