Demographic Differences of Preference, Intake Frequency and Craving Hedonic Ratings of Sweet Foods Among Malaysian Subjects in Kuala Lumpur
- Author:
BT Sia
;
SY Low
;
WC Foong
;
M Pramasivah
;
CZ Khor
;
YH Say
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Food preference, diet records, addictive behavior, Body Mass Index, Malaysia
- From:Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences
2013;9(1):55-64
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
As the sugar intake of Malaysians is one of the highest in the Asia Pacific region, we wanted to
investigate how this high prevalence of ‘sweet tooth’ is influenced by biological determinants like age,
gender, ethnicity and Body Mass Index (BMI). Therefore, this study was to determine the demographic
and BMI differences of preference, intake frequency and craving of a list of sweet beverages and food
among Malaysian subjects. Convenience sampling was performed around Kuala Lumpur, with informed
consents, involving 367 multi-ethnic subjects (163 males, 204 females; 83 Malays, 201 Chinese, 83
Indians; 209 lean, 158 overweight). Demographics and anthropometric measurements were taken and
questionnaire on the preference/frequency/craving of a list of 22 sweet food and beverages with a 7
point hedonic scale (from 1= very unpleasant/never/never crave to 7 = very pleasant/at least once a day/
always crave) was performed. Females significantly preferred more, took less frequently but had equal
craving of sweet foods compared to males. Lean subjects and those <25 years showed significantly
higher preference, intake frequency and craving of sweet foods. The ethnic differences in rating the
preference, intake frequency and cravings seemed to be food-specific and culturally-related, where
overall, ethnic Chinese had significantly higher intake frequency but lesser craving of sweet foods
compared to Malays and Indians. Understanding the demographic and anthropometric factors that may
affect the preference, intake frequency and craving of certain sweet foods can help to plan for strategies
to prevent the detrimental health burden of high sugar intake among Malaysians.
- Full text:P020150605321017782299.pdf
