Introduction: The Malaysian society is undergoing rapid modernisation. The emerging middle class in Malaysia is influencing the lifestyles and traditional food habits of the main three ethnics (i.e. Malays, Chinese, and Indians). This article studied the impact of compressed modernisation on food in a multicultural context. The Malaysian Food Barometer (MFB), published in the year 2014, focuses on the socio-cultural determinants of food habits in Malaysia. Methods: The methods applied in the study were qualitative and quantitative surveys of the food barometers developed at the national level to study the transformation of eating habits. The surveys studied the socio-economic, demographic, and cultural determinants of food consumption, as well as identifying their possible influences on health issues. Results: The results showed two major distinguishing characteristics of Malaysian food patterns, i.e. linking with Malaysia’s multi-ethnicity background and the high frequency of foods consumed outside of home by the urban population. Conclusion: The article concluded that like many societies in transition, Malaysia has to face a rise in the prevalence of overweight. However, with its multicultural characteristics, it becomes a privileged empirical field of observation for the analysis of modernisation modalities of diet models among different ethnic groups.

Introduction: A food label is an important tool that provides nutritional information which influences consumers by promoting awareness on their diet and improving health status. This study aimed to assess nutrition knowledge level, food label usage, and the barriers that hinder the use of food labels among students in Health Colleges at the Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Health College students at PNU in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). A total of 572 participants were interviewed through a validated questionnaire on social demographic characteristics, nutrition knowledge level, food label use, and barriers that hinder food label use. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (version 21), with statistical significance set at p-value <0.05. Results: Only 27.4% of the participants stated that they always or usually use food labels when purchasing food products. Majority of the participants (59.4%) had moderate nutrition knowledge. Factors significantly associated to food label use were nutrition knowledge (R2=0.21), attitude towards health value of the products (R2=0.35), and taste (R2=-0.22). About 41.0% of the participants indicated that time constraint was the main barrier for not using food labels, followed by no interest (31.3%), no need (27.8%), and difficult to use (24.8%). Conclusion: This study found that food label use was low among the participants. Nutrition knowledge supported food label use while time constraint was the main barrier that hindered the use of food label among them. Raising students’ nutrition knowledge level through nutrition education programmes could promote food label use.

Introduction: The elderly population is susceptible to malnutrition due to the physiological and functional changes caused by ageing. Hence, to prevent the degenerative nutritional conditions of the elderly and improve their quality of life, this study aimed to determine the influencing factors of malnutrition among Filipino elderly. Methods: Anthropometric component data from the 8th National Nutrition Survey (NNS) were utilised along with the nutritional status of Filipino elderly, based on body mass index as the dependent variable and variables from the clinical and health, dietary, and socioeconomic components of NNS as explanatory factors. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was then performed in fitting models. Results: High magnitude and severity of malnutrition were observed among Filipino elderly – 20.2% were underweight and 24.8% were overweight. Significant influencing factors in estimating an elderly’s odds of being underweight were the elderly’s age group, presence of hypertension, presence of anaemia, and adequacy of vitamin A intake. Whereas, significant influencing factors in estimating an elderly’s odds of being overweight/obese included highest educational attainment, presence of anaemia, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidaemia. Conclusion: Knowing the influencing factors may help the elderly become more aware and conscious of their health, as well as to promote nutrient intakes to prevent malnutrition that can worsen their health conditions. Additionally, concerned institutions in the country could use the findings of this study as one of the bases in strengthening their approach and implementation or even provide relevant and timely policies and programmes that address malnutrition in the elderly of this country.

Introduction: Eating behaviour pattern is among the key behavioural factors that contribute to eating disorders. Hence, to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Eating Behaviour Pattern Questionnaire (EBPQ) that is used in epidemiological studies to measure the relationship between health outcomes and eating behaviour patterns, this study aimed to validate the adopted version of the EBPQ and to check the validity and reliability of this tool in University of Malaya, Malaysia. Methods: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to determine the most appropriate factor structure of EBPQ. Moreover, structural equation modelling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied to examine the convergent and discriminant validity of EBPQ. As for the participants of the study, multi-stage random sampling was used and 200 students (109 females and 91 males) from University of Malaya were chosen. Results: The EFA yielded nine components of EBPQ including emotional eating, eating outside, cultural habit, low-fat eating, meal skipping, snacking, healthy eating, planning for food and sweets, which explained 67.7% of the total variance. Furthermore, the Cronbach’s α was about 0.8 for all components, which exhibited a high internal consistency among the obtained components. The results showed that the questionnaire had sufficient convergent and discriminant validity. Conclusion: The EBPQ was proven to be a reliable tool to measure the eating behaviour patterns in Malaysian university students. The presence of adequate validity and reliability supports this instrument’s psychometric properties for future studies.

Introduction: Skipping breakfast may contribute to poor academic and nutritional status among school children. The current study aimed to determine the effect of the ‘MAPAGI’ (Makan Pagi Bergizi) interactive video game on elementary student’s breakfast knowledge and attitude. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental equivalent group study with a pre-post test control group design. In total, 228 students aged 9-11 years were drawn by proportional stratified random sampling from two urban schools and were distributed equally into intervention (IG) and control groups (CG). Both groups were administered with similar printed media for 10-15 minutes. Video game was delivered only to IG for two consecutive days, 30 minutes each day. Pre-test (PT0) was performed a day before leaflet administration, while post-test was performed twice – after leaflet administration (post-test 1/ PT1) and a week after the last video game (post-test 2/PT2). Paired, independent t-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were employed to answer the research questions. Results: The mean changes (PT1-PT0 and PT2-PT0) in knowledge score for IG (4.82±2.53 and 3.25±2.47) significantly differed compared to CG (1.75±2.66 and 1.25±2.69). The mean changes in attitude score for IG (7.16±7.17 and 7.34±7.11) also significantly differed compared to CG (2.83±6.58 and 2.64±6.90). After adjustment for potential confounding factors, there was still a significantly greater score in children’s knowledge and attitude after a week’s administration of MAPAGI video game in IG. Conclusion: ‘MAPAGI’ improved school children’s knowledge and attitude, which may lead to the good behaviour of having breakfast.

Introduction: Indonesians have a low intake of dietary fibre, a key component for an increased incidence in constipation. Available data have documented the benefits of polydextrose (PDX) in healthy subjects. However, data on constipated subjects are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the effect of consuming a PDX (prebiotic) beverage on bowel habits and gastrointestinal symptoms of constipated subjects over seven days. Methods: This was a randomised, non-blinded, nonplacebo-controlled parallel design study involving 24 subjects, divided equally into two groups. Group A (active control group) consisted of 12 subjects, consuming one serving size of 6g PDX beverage. While Group B (intervention group) consisted of 12 subjects, consuming two servings of the same product, containing 12g PDX beverage. Changes in bowel habits (constipation score, stool frequency and stool consistency) and gastrointestinal symptoms (abdominal pain, bloating and flatulence) were monitored. Results: Within seven days, Group B showed 4.9% more reduction in overall constipation mean score than that of Group A. Positive improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms were reported: i.e. abdominal pain (∆M = -0.08±0.43), bloating (∆M = -0.29±0.37) and flatulence (∆M = -0.17±0.47). Majority of subjects had desirable stool frequency (87.5%, >3 defecations/week) and stool consistency (58.3%, type 4). These improvements were due to the fact that PDX provides physiological effects consistent with prebiotic fibre, which alters the gut microbiota composition during the fermentation cycle in the large intestine. Conclusion: Findings of this study suggested that daily PDX beverage consumption effectively improved bowel habits, with fewer constipated subjects reporting of gastrointestinal symptoms.

Introduction: This study was carried out to determine the validity and reliability of the Turkish culture-adapted version of “Power of the Food Scale” (PFS), which was originally developed by Lowe et al. (2009). In addition, associations between body mass index (BMI) and PFS scores were assessed. Methods: The study sample consisted of a total of 363 volunteering students aged >18 years, who were studying at the Bas¸kent University in Turkey. Validity and reliability analyses were conducted for the Turkish version of the PFS. Results: The correlations of each item in the PFS with the total score were found to be positive and >0.30. The Cronbach’s alpha value was determined as 0.85. The construct validity of the scale was analysed with confirmatory factor analysis. The Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index was 0.97 and the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation was 0.07. These fit indices of the model confirmed the construct validity of the PFS. A positive and statistically significant correlation was found between BMI values of the students and the total score of the scale (r=0.157; p=0.003). Conclusion: The findings obtained in this study have laid out that the Turkish Power of Food Scale (T-PFS), which was adapted to Turkish culture from PFS, is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be applied in Turkey. Thus, T-PFS is thought to be likely to contribute to studies aiming to determine the status of hedonic hunger.

Introduction: The culture of eating out among Malaysians has substantially increased in recent years due to the urbanisation of the society. Frequent eating out has been linked with reduced quality of diet, reduced intake of micronutrients, and increased weight gain. This study aims to explore specific factors on the perceptions and behaviours related to eating out from the perspective of parents. Methods: A qualitative study was carried out among 27 informants from various ethnicities and locations in Peninsular Malaysia. All sessions were audio-recorded, fully transcribed and analysed using thematic content analysis. Results: The main overarching theme that surfaced from this study was the role of parents in shaping the practice of eating out. Time constraints due to parents’ work commitments, the availability of various food outlets, increase in family bonding time and food preferences were recurring themes revealed by informants as facilitating factors to eating out. Other emerging themes, such as hygiene of food premises and cost of food, posed as barriers to eating out. Conclusion: These findings offered a better understanding on the eating out practices of a family from the parents’ perspective. Information as such could be incorporated in strategies to enhance the promotion of healthy eating and nutrition interventions that aim to inculcate healthy food choices while eating out.

Introduction: This study looked at the fatty acid composition changes in potato fries fried in three different types of oils, namely soybean oil (SO), canola oil (CO), and a 1:1 blend of soybean oil and canola oil (SCO), throughout an intermittent frying process of 80 batches in five consecutive days. The study also examined the fatty acid composition changes in SO, CO and SCO during the frying process. Methods: Fat from potato fries (extracted by Soxtec system) and oil samples from the corresponding frying oil were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) to examine the fatty acid profile changes during the deep-frying process. Results: Linoleic acid (LA) and a-linolenic acid (ALA) in all three oils decreased, while oleic acid (C18:1), stearic acid (C18:0), palmitic acid (C16:0) and octanoic acid (C8:0) increased. Formation of C18:1 trans fatty acid was observed as the frying time increased. The fatty acid composition of the potato fries was consistent with the fatty acid composition of the corresponding frying oils. Conclusion: Our results showed that blending soybean oil and canola oil did not significantly improve the frying stability of the resulting oil in terms of fatty acid profile. Due to the formation of trans fatty acids and the decrease in polyunsaturated fatty acids, our study also recommends not to use the same frying oil repeatedly and not to consume food products cooked in reused oil.

Introduction: Literature revealed that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) experience significantly more feeding problems and obesity compared to their peers. This study was designed to investigate the nutritional status and dietary patterns of children with autism in different age groups in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 193 individuals with ASD. A questionnaire was used as a tool to collect information from the mother of the respondents and anthropometric assessments were conducted by measuring height and weight. The dietary patterns of the respondents were taken using a food frequency questionnaire. Results: The age range of the participants were between 3-18 years. It was found that 11.9%, 19.7% and 23.3% of the participants were underweight, overweight and obese, respectively according to Body Mass Index (BMI)-for-age. About 70% of the respondents had medium Individual Dietary Diversity Score (IDDS). In addition, the association between IDDS and obesity was significantly correlated (p=0.00). Individuals with ASD exhibited similar food preferences across most age groups with little changes. Conclusion: Our study figured out that the prevalence of overweight increased in accordance with age among children with ASD. They have a tendency to prefer likeness and routine in their diet, which expands the tendency to have an imbalanced diet. A dietary guideline including seven food groups should be followed to improve their nutritional status and dietary practices.