Edible Oil Consumption and Its Associated Factors Among the Dayak Community in Southern Zone of Sarawak

Michael Pui, Chia Shin and Cheah, Whye Lian (2025) Edible Oil Consumption and Its Associated Factors Among the Dayak Community in Southern Zone of Sarawak. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 21 (2). pp. 46-55. ISSN 2636-9346

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Abstract

Introduction: Edible oil become essential in the Dayak diet and excessive use is associated to health risk. The study aims to determine the edible oil consumption and its associated factors among Dayak communities in southern zone of Sarawak. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in two randomly selected district from each three divisions: Kuching, Samarahan and Serian. A total of 278 respondents were recruited through cluster sampling. Interview administered questionnaire was used, and anthropometric measurements were recorded. Results: The average daily edible oil consumption was 37.50 grams per person, 51.1% exceeded the recommended intake. Respondents with larger household used oil moderately (p< 0.05), but they were more likely to reuse the edible oil (p< 0.05). Household with a family member having chronic disease, used edible oil at moderate amount (p< 0.05). Participant who utilized excess oil were less likely to believe edible oil reduce heart disease (p< 0.05) but remain confidence in its ingredient (p< 0.05). Their purchase of edible oil was influence by price reduction and promotion (p< 0.05). While participants who used oil at moderate amount disagreed with the preferences for shopping lower-priced oil (p< 0.05). Conclusion: The findings highlight a concerning trend of higher than recommended consumption of edible oil among Dayak communities. Nutritional promotion plays a vital role in empowering public to make well informed decisions in selecting edible oil, taking accounts both nutritional information and price, thereby avoiding excessive consumption while aligning health and environmental sustainability.

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