Carbohydrates intake preference among university students towards balanced intake practice

• Published in: Food Research (Online) Vol. 4; no. 5; pp. 1469 - 1479
• Main Authors: Mohd Abd Majid, H.A., Ahmad Sharoni, S.K., Annuar, J., Syed Yasin, S.N., Raju, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-10-2020
• ISSN: 2550-2166; 2550-2166
• DOI: 10.26656/fr.2017.4(5).403

Food is necessary for our living since it helps in preserving our life in this world.
Occasionally, we may have similar food preferences with our friends and families and
sometimes we recognize the meals as the highlight for a celebration. Usually, people tend
to choose their meals according to the availability of the meal in the market or the
characteristics of the food itself such as the taste of the food. Students usually choose food
based on their need, but it is vital for them to take care of their daily nutrient intake,
especially carbohydrate (CHO) to give them more energy to facilitate productivity and
healthy daily life. However, there is a possibility to practice imbalance intake due to
surrounding factors that can cause an excessive intake of nutrient which later may
contribute to obesity or inadequate intake that may cause lethargic and nutrient deficiency.
This study determined the carbohydrate preferences among college students in UiTM
Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia. Data collection was done by convenience sampling from
160 students (bachelor’s degree student). A questionnaire that consisted of two sections;
section A (socio-demographic profile) and section B (food preferences) was used to
collect the data. Majority of the students chose rice (74.4%) as their most preferred
carbohydrates, followed by 10.6% noodles, 7.5% bread, 3.8% cereal product, 2.5%
biscuits and only 1.3% of the students preferred tubers. This can give some ideas and
more room for improvement and monitoring on the CHO intake towards healthy eating
practice among university students. This will also help the food provider in preparing and
modifying healthy meal according to food preferences at the university’s cafeteria. In
addition, this may also assist food manufacturer to get some ideas for proposing healthier
food innovation in the future based on youth preference.