Functional food consumption and its associated factors among university students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic
Background: In the current situation of COVID-19, dietary intake that incorporates functional foods may potentially be a preventive measure for defence against viral infection. This study aimed to determine the consumption of functional foods and its associated factors among university students duri...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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Universiti Sains Malaysia
2023
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/108067/ |
| _version_ | 1848865064114716672 |
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| author | Ee, Janice Fang Tay En, Serene Hui Tung Kai, Ting Mok Choon, Hui Tan Wan, Ying Gan Wai, Chuen Poon |
| author_facet | Ee, Janice Fang Tay En, Serene Hui Tung Kai, Ting Mok Choon, Hui Tan Wan, Ying Gan Wai, Chuen Poon |
| author_sort | Ee, Janice Fang Tay |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background: In the current situation of COVID-19, dietary intake that incorporates functional foods may potentially be a preventive measure for defence against viral infection. This study aimed to determine the consumption of functional foods and its associated factors among university students during COVID-19. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 284 Malaysian university students in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. An online self-administered questionnaire was employed to assess subjects nutrition knowledge, dietary habits, attitude towards functional foods, recognition and consumption of functional food products. Results: Out of 284 respondents, 41.9 had poor level of nutrition knowledge and 57 had moderate level of functional food-related attitude, with seven types of functional foods consumed on average (57.0). Binary logistic regression showed that university students who consumed fruits at least three times per day (aOR = 11.18; 95 CI: 1.46, 80.17), salty snacks (aOR = 2.90; 95 CI: 1.43, 5.86), soft drinks/sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) (aOR = 3.12; 95 CI: 1.53, 5.26) and pure juice (aOR = 2.80; 95 CI: 1.48, 5.30) were more likely to consume functional foods during COVID-19 (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings could provide information to public and private sectors in terms of creating a supportive environment to encourage and promote the awareness and consumption of functional foods and their associated health benefits. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T13:58:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-108067 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T13:58:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Universiti Sains Malaysia |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-1080672024-09-10T07:37:26Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/108067/ Functional food consumption and its associated factors among university students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic Ee, Janice Fang Tay En, Serene Hui Tung Kai, Ting Mok Choon, Hui Tan Wan, Ying Gan Wai, Chuen Poon Background: In the current situation of COVID-19, dietary intake that incorporates functional foods may potentially be a preventive measure for defence against viral infection. This study aimed to determine the consumption of functional foods and its associated factors among university students during COVID-19. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 284 Malaysian university students in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. An online self-administered questionnaire was employed to assess subjects nutrition knowledge, dietary habits, attitude towards functional foods, recognition and consumption of functional food products. Results: Out of 284 respondents, 41.9 had poor level of nutrition knowledge and 57 had moderate level of functional food-related attitude, with seven types of functional foods consumed on average (57.0). Binary logistic regression showed that university students who consumed fruits at least three times per day (aOR = 11.18; 95 CI: 1.46, 80.17), salty snacks (aOR = 2.90; 95 CI: 1.43, 5.86), soft drinks/sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) (aOR = 3.12; 95 CI: 1.53, 5.26) and pure juice (aOR = 2.80; 95 CI: 1.48, 5.30) were more likely to consume functional foods during COVID-19 (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings could provide information to public and private sectors in terms of creating a supportive environment to encourage and promote the awareness and consumption of functional foods and their associated health benefits. Universiti Sains Malaysia 2023 Article PeerReviewed Ee, Janice Fang Tay and En, Serene Hui Tung and Kai, Ting Mok and Choon, Hui Tan and Wan, Ying Gan and Wai, Chuen Poon (2023) Functional food consumption and its associated factors among university students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic. Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, 30 (6). 133 -146. ISSN 1394-195X http://www.mjms.usm.my/MJMSvol30no6.html 10.21315/mjms2023.30.6.13 |
| spellingShingle | Ee, Janice Fang Tay En, Serene Hui Tung Kai, Ting Mok Choon, Hui Tan Wan, Ying Gan Wai, Chuen Poon Functional food consumption and its associated factors among university students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title | Functional food consumption and its associated factors among university students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | Functional food consumption and its associated factors among university students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Functional food consumption and its associated factors among university students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Functional food consumption and its associated factors among university students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | Functional food consumption and its associated factors among university students in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | functional food consumption and its associated factors among university students in malaysia during covid-19 pandemic |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/108067/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/108067/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/108067/ |