Page 71 - AEI Insights 2018 Vol 4 Issue 1

Hashim et al, 2018

Table 4: Do Swedes and Malaysian Malays eat according to the plate model?

Sweden Malaysia
per cent per cent No per cent per cent No
Yes Yes
Total 25 75 20.5 76
Gender
Women 29 14 27 73
Men 20 80 16 84
Weight
Underweight/
Normal
weight 27 73 23 77
Obese
21 79 20 80

Another question explored use of weight related diets. Half of the Malaysian Malays
respondents had tried a weight-related diet with equal numbers of males and females. In
Sweden, 47 per cent of the males and 72 per cent of the females had tried a weight-related diet.
Among the ones who had tried a weight-related diet, 54.3 per cent of the Malaysian Malays
and 75 per cent of the Swedes were from the overweight and obese group.

Preferences for and evaluation of information sources
The majority of respondents (91 per cent) report knowing where to turn to for information if
they need advice concerning diets and/or exercise. In Table 5, the preferences of the
respondents are presented. The information sources are grouped in accordance to the ranking
from highest to lowest.

Table 5: Preferences for information sources

Sweden (per cent) Malaysia (per cent)
1 Family and friends (74) Family and friends (86)
2 Social media (71) Blogs (79)
Radio/TV (79)
3 Journal articles (66) Social media (78)
4 Blogs (64) Journal articles (74)
5 Expert talks (60) YouTube/Vimeo (73)
6 Radio/TV (43) Leaflets (69)
7 YouTube/Vimeo (42) Newspapers (68)
8 Alternative medicine (30) Public institutions (62)
9 Government agencies (28) Expert talks (58)
10 Public institutions (26) Governmental agencies (55)
11 Private institutions (24) Private institutions (52)
12 Newspapers (21) Traditional medicine (50)
13 Leaflets (22)

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