Page 78 - AEI Insights 2018 Vol 4 Issue 1

AEI Insights, Vol 4, Issue 1, 2018

respondents in both countries. Interestingly, in the Malaysian Malays data, this also applies to
private healthcare organizations. Similar tendencies can be seen in evaluation of information.

In general, the Swedish respondents choose what to use and follow, according to their beliefs,
which are, in turn, based on information sources, where the Internet (i.e. social media, blogs),
journals and newspapers play a very important role; this which might override that of the
official information and recommendations for a probably increasing subgroup of people in
Sweden. A relatively low confidence in official health information in a considerable subgroup
of respondents points to a potential problem (i.e., trend setters adopting non-official
recommendations, which may or may not entail health risks). This is a conscious choice based
on their own information seeking and it is a challenge for the official information sources to
address this group and the findings on which they base their choices in a way that can regain
their confidence. More relevant research and more discussion are needed, also involving
national agencies and institutions.

Governmental sources can develop standardised health policies by leveraging on similitudes
while the local healthcare providers of health care/medicine and food can be more conscious
of what preferential differences may be inherent and what may be unique in different societies.
For instance, these findings could be applied in Malaysia by placing more emphasis on
information about health and exercise, as well as the wider context of eating healthy food and
keeping a normal weight. In Sweden, the diet trends could be tackled more clearly by the
national health agencies, in order to keep the confidence of citizens and an explanation about
why and how results of research are disseminated could be made known.

The Malaysian Malay respondents are also at liberty to choose the type of information that is
of interest to them. Considerable factors such as family/friends, blogs and radio/TV, social
media and also journal articles are important sources to look for information. Although
obtaining sources from governmental agencies, public and private institutions are the least
preferred methods compared to the new media, the respondents seem to trust the facts provided
by these institutions. The dissemination of information however from these institutions should
be more widespread and simplified so as to be easily understood by more people. The situation
in Malaysia is markedly different from that in Sweden where more participants seem to trust
less of the official information and recommendations and make choices based on their own
findings and conclusions.

In conclusion, the spectrum of information sources is fairly broad and interest in seeking
information about health, food and weight is considerable in both countries. This indicates that
there are relatively strong possibilities for empowering the public to take action to combat
problems arising from being overweight and obese. This would require new strategies to be
undertaken by government agencies and clinics taking into account the whole spectrum of other
sources that people turn to for information. The diversity in sources for health information also
points to a need for critical reading by the users and access to transparent evaluation of health
information. Understanding different cultures and the preferences of different communities is
important in adopting strategies that will have a big impact on the different communities. The
outcomes of this study provide insights into the obesity attitudes of Swedes and Malaysians
and their preferences for information sources. The results can contribute towards better
understanding of cultural influences in the planning of health services in both countries.

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