AN OVERVIEW OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND FOOD CONSUMPTION PATTERN AMONG MALAYSIAN POPULATION

Abstract

Food is one of the basic human needs. Humans need food to live. However, food is not only used to live, but also serve as a luxury item. According to the Malaysia Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) for 2009/10, food and non-alcoholic beverages is the second highest expenditure among Malaysians with 20.3 percent of average total expenditure (Malaysia Department of Statistics, 2012). Furthermore, the overeating of food among Malaysians has increased the prevalence of obesity and overweight. The World Health Organisation (WHO) (2013) reported that Malaysia was ranked as the sixth in Asia for the highest adult obesity rate. This is caused by the imbalance diet and high consumption of energy-dense food and low intake of
vegetables and fruits. Furthermore, the study by Norimah et al. (2008) showed that 97 percent of Malaysian adults consume rice, marine fish and sweetened condensed milk daily whereby this type of food were reported as energy-dense. Even though rice is the staple food for Malaysians, but rice contributes more energy than other food in Malaysia. Zainal Badari et al. (2012) also reported that typical Malaysian diet consists mainly of protein- based and energy-based food and low intake of fruits and vegetables. In order to know more about the pattern of Malaysian food intake, several factors need to be clarified, such as household income, food expenditure, nutritional status and eating pattern. This paper will provide a clear overview of the factors that contribute to the nutritional status and food consumption pattern of the Malaysian population.