PERCEIVED RISK AND HEALTHY EATING DETERMINANTS: A STUDY AMONG STUDENTS IN SHAH ALAM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJMOE.831009Keywords:
Culinary Industry, Food and Beverage Industry, Healthy Eating, Physical Environment, Perceived Risk, Social Environment, Social MediaAbstract
Although healthy eating is essential for preventing nutrition-related diseases and promoting well-being, unhealthy dietary practices remain prevalent among university students. Numerous factors that influence healthy eating habits have been studied in the past, but few studies have concurrently looked at the impact of perceived risk, the social environment, the physical environment, and social media in the context of Malaysian higher education. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate how these variables affected students' healthy eating habits at Management and Science University (MSU), Shah Alam. 300 university students were surveyed using structured questionnaires as part of a quantitative cross-sectional study design. The data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis to determine the relative influence of the proposed factors on healthy eating habits. All five factors had a significant impact on students' healthy eating habits, according to multiple regression analysis, with the physical environment having the biggest influence and perceived risk being the most significant factor. The social environment and social media both had a significant positive influence. These results imply that students' awareness of health risks, social influences, environmental factors, and exposure to digital media all have an impact on their eating habits. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on healthy eating behavior by deepening our understanding of different behavioral determinants in a university setting. Likewise, the findings provide policymakers, health educators, and university administrators with useful information for developing targeted health promotion programs and fostering campus environments that support students' healthier eating habits.
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