JAFES-Booklet (English - pdf - 1103 Kb) - MEMS

Obesity-related Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices
Among Adults In Rural Areas Of Tanjung Karang.
Barakatun Nisak MY 1 , Norlaila M 2 , Norasyikin AW 2 , Suhazlyn Z 2 ,Wong Ming 2 , Kamaruzaman H 2 , Nurul Hani M 2 ,
Fadlin M 2 , Amiliyaton K 2 ,Rohana J 2 , Shaffinaz A 2 , Hartini M 2 , Rabizah M 2 , Siti Fatehah Y 2 , Noor Shahrazat H 2 ,
Shahrul Azmin MR 2 , Wan Rosmaiza W 2 , Shamita S 2 , Norhaliza A 2 & Nor Azmi K 2 .
1 Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang.
2 Department of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
Background: It is generally believed that non-obese adults are better equipped in terms of
obesity-related knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) than their non-obese counterpart.
Objective: This cross-sectional survey was conducted to compare obesity-related knowledge,
attitude and practice among adult population aged 18 years and above in rural areas of Tanjung
Karang, Selangor.
Subjects and Methods: This study was part of a multi-centre Metabolic Syndrome Study of
Malaysia (MSSM) project. Subjects were selected randomly from households in five villages with
the aid of kirsch tables and topographical charts of the district. Among the 543 subjects who were
screened, 416 (77% response rate) participated in the survey by completing the structured questionnaires
followed by anthropometric measurements. The questionnaires assessed the subjects’
knowledge (34 items in true-false format), their attitude (9 items) and practice (19 items); both in
a likert-scale format involving various obesity related topics. Lastly seven questions related to
subjects’ intention to modify their food intake and lifestyles were also administered. For the
purpose of statistical analysis, subjects were divided into obese and non-obese groups based on
the World Health Organization classification.
Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in this study cohort was alarmingly high
(60.8%) especially among women (71.1%). Overweight and obese subjects [n= 253; mean
BMI+SD (95% CI) = 29.7 + 4.2 kgm-2 (29.2; 30.2)] were younger and had higher household
monthly income (p< 0.05) compared to the non-obese subjects [n= 163; mean BMI + SD (95%
CI) = 22.5 + 1.5 kgm-2(22.2; 22.7)]. The obese subjects had greater waist circumference (92+10
vs. 80+8 cm) and higher systolic/diastolic blood pressures (140/80 vs. 133/75 mmHg) compared
to the non-obese subjects (p