Introduction: Food insecurity is a public health concern that may lead to malnutrition in children. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between demographic characteristics and food security level with nutritional status among children from food-insecure households in Simunjan District, Sarawak. Methods: This study involved a total of 171 mother-and-child pairs from two Maternal and Child Health Clinics (Simunjan and Gedong) using non-probability convenience sampling technique. Food insecurity status was determined using Radimer/Cornell Hunger Food Insecurity Instrument, while child’s weight and height were measured following standard procedures. Chi-squared test of independence and binary logistic regression were used during data analysis. Results: The prevalences for household food insecurity, individual food insecurity, and child hunger were 70.8%, 15.2%, and 14.0%, respectively. The main nutritional problems for children aged 24–59 months were underweight (17.9%) and stunting (17.9%), while for children aged 60–144 months were overweight and obesity (27.5%). Children of mothers over 34 years old (AOR=2.367; 95% CI: 1.085, 5.164), and those aged 60–144 months (AOR=3.619; 95% CI: 1.521, 8.613) had increased odds of being overweight or obese. Meanwhile, children of working mothers (AOR=6.526; 95% CI: 1.108, 38.449) were more likely to have a thinness problem than children of unemployed mothers. However, no association was found between the severity of food insecurity with children’s nutritional status. Conclusion: Malnutrition in children remains a public health concern in Simunjan District, and it is linked to mother’s age and employment status. An intervention programme is required to ameliorate the situation.

Introduction: Understanding childhood obesity becomes vital as a tremendous increase in the prevalence of overweight/obesity among children and adolescents was observed. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the associations between sociodemographic and psychological characteristics with body-mass-index-for-age (BAZ) among adolescents in Sibu, Sarawak. Methods: A total of 375 students (32.0% males and 68.0% females; 15-17 years old) at four randomly selected public secondary schools were recruited. A questionnaire on sociodemographic and psychological characteristics (self-efficacy for physical activity, weight management, and nutrition, body discrepancy score, and sociocultural pressure to be thin) were used to gather information. Body weight and height were also assessed. Results: Around 18.6% respondents were found to be overweight/obese while nearly 5.0% were categorized as thin. In multiple linear regression, three significant predictors, namely body discrepancy score, being Iban (Reference: Chinese) and sociocultural pressure to be thin explained 45.1% of the variance in BMI-for-age z-score. Conclusion: Future interventions on adolescent body weight management should consider incorporating sociodemographic and psychological factors such as the development of positive body image, uniqueness in cultural value, and management of perceived sociocultural pressures to increase their effectiveness

Introduction: The COVID-19 Movement Control Order (MCO) has caused a concern on the food consumption among university students. This study aimed to assess food diversity and its relationship with accommodation among university students in Sarawak. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among students of the University Malaysia Sarawak in Kota Samarahan during the MCO. Data on socio-demographic characteristics and food diversity were collected using an online questionnaire. Results: A total of 478 respondents participated in this study. The majority of the respondents were women (77.4%), and almost half were Malays (49.6%). Half of the respondents stayed at home with their family, while 36.4% stayed in their college dormitories. Except for legumes, nuts and seeds and milk and milk products, all other food groups were common in the respondents’ diet, with the highest consumption observed from cereal and cereal products, followed by meat and meat products and water. One-way ANOVA showed that there were significant differences in the intake of fish and seafood; legumes, nuts and seeds; milk and milk products; and fruits between those who stayed in college dormitories, at home with their families and in rented houses (P<0.01). Conclusion Despite reduction in food availability and accessibility, the total energy intake of the university students did not change. University students should be continuously educated on the importance of a balanced diet consisting of all food groups.
Food ; Diet ; COVID-19