Knowledge of calories and its influencing factors: evidence from a fast-growing developing country

Abstract

PurposeThis study examines sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with knowledge of calories.Design/methodology/approachData were analysed from the Komuniti Sihat Pembina Negara (KOSPEN) 2016. Logistic regressions were used to examine the effects of sociodemographic and lifestyle factors on knowledge of the definition of calories, recommended caloric intake and the effect of calories on body weight.FindingsThe results revealed that large proportions of respondents did not know the definition of calories (51.33%), recommended caloric intake (95.50%) and the effect of calories on body weight (64.89%). The proportions of respondents having knowledge of calories varied by income, gender, ethnicity, educational level, marital status, employment status, urbanization of states, smoking status and awareness of body mass index (BMI). Respondents were less likely to have knowledge of calories if they were low-income earners, non-Malays, less-educated, unemployed, smokers and unaware of their BMI.Practical implicationsSociodemographic and lifestyle factors play an important role in affecting knowledge of calories. Policymakers should make a concerted effort to improve knowledge of calories among adults with different sociodemographic backgrounds and lifestyle profiles.Originality/valueThis study provides several contributions to the literature: (1) The country of interest is Malaysia, where the prevalence of obesity is high and studies related to knowledge of calories are lacking. (2) In addition to knowledge of recommended caloric intake, knowledge of the definition of calories and the effect of calories on body weight factors are considered. (3) Apart from sociodemographic variables, smoking behaviour and awareness of BMI variables are included in the analyses.

Embedded big data in packaged foods: examining consumer sentiment during the purchasing process post-COVID-19

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“…, 2023). Research indicates that consumers are particularly aware of food calorie data (Cheah et al. , 2023; Roberto et al.…”

Cultivating loyalty in fast food through marketing cues

“…The initiative to label the calorie of fast food is expected to assist in reducing the consumption (Marty et al ., 2020). Nevertheless, a majority of the population do not have sufficient knowledge in food literacy (Bazzani et al ., 2021) especially in calorie intake (Cheah et al. , 2023).…”

“…The initiative to label the calorie of fast food is expected to assist in reducing the consumption (Marty et al, 2020). Nevertheless, a majority of the population do not have sufficient knowledge in food literacy (Bazzani et al, 2021) especially in calorie intake (Cheah et al, 2023). Although a strong negative stereotype exists toward the western fast food, especially from the media, a continuously increasing number of fast-food restaurants still exist due to changes in modern lifestyles and dietary habits (Saxena and Taneja, 2020).…”