Rizal, Johana Nasreen Mohamad (2026) The relationship between attitudes towards sugary food, demographics and body mass index (BMI) on sweet-tasting food intake among female adults in Kota Bharu. Project Report. Universiti Sains Malaysia. (Submitted)
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Abstract
Metabolic health issues can be caused by excessive consumption of sweet-tasting foods, however a complicated interaction between environmental and human factors frequently affects food choices. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between attitude, demographic characteristics and body mass index (BMI) toward sweet-tasting food intake among females in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. A cross-sectional study was conducted among female adults (n = 96) in Kota Bharu. The demographic data, self-reported height and weight for BMI calculation and attitudes (Personal Impact, Personal Management, Negativity and Perceived Non-autonomy) were obtained. The intake of sweet-tasting foods was assessed using a food frequency-based approach that categorized intake into adding sugar, adding low and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS), sugar-containing foods and sugar-free foods. Data was analysed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, Pearson correlation coefficients and Spearman’s rank correlation test. The majority of participants were Malay (n=87), followed by a smaller representation of ethnic Chinese (n=5) and Indians (n=4). Results showed there was no significant relationship between sweet-tasting food intake and age (p = 0.062), ethnicity (p = 0.273) or education level (p = 0.400). Similarly, income (r = -0.010, p = 0.919) and BMI (r = -0.057, p = 0.581) revealed no significant correlation with sweet-tasting food intake. However, there was a moderately significant negative correlation between Personal Impact attitudes and sweet-tasting food intake (r =-0.429, p < 0.001), indicating that higher awareness of the negative effects of sugar was related to lower consumption. Other attitude variables, including Personal Management, Negativity, and Perceived Non-autonomy, were not significantly correlated with the consumption. In conclusion, demographic factors and body composition were not the primary predictors of sweet-tasting food intake among females in a sugar-rich food setting in Kota Bharu. Instead, an individual's psychological perspective on the personal effects of sugar is more important for controlling consumption.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Project Report) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | sugary food |
| Subjects: | R Medicine R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine |
| Divisions: | Kampus Kesihatan (Health Campus) > Pusat Pengajian Sains Kesihatan (School of Health Sciences) > Monograph |
| Depositing User: | MUHAMMAD AKIF AIMAN AB SHUKOR |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Aug 2026 02:53 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Oct 2026 04:05 |
| URI: | http://eprints.usm.my/id/eprint/64748 |
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