PRESERVING TRADITIONAL FOOD AS INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE: YOUNG ADULTS’ KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICES (KAP) IN KOTA KINABALU, SABAH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/JTHEM.1145055Keywords:
Gastronomic Heritage, Intangible Cultural Heritage, Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP), Sabah, Young AdultsAbstract
The preservation of traditional food as a core element of intangible cultural heritage relies on the active interpretation and involvement of the younger generation. This study examines the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of young adults toward traditional food preservation in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed. A structured questionnaire was distributed physically and online to undergraduate students at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), and 415 valid responses were analysed using convenience and snowballing sampling. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to evaluate the levels of and correlations between variables. The findings reveal that most respondents were female (75.2%) and aged between 20 and 25 years old, reflecting a young adult demographic. The predominant ethnic backgrounds represented were Dusun (21.9%) and Bajau (16.4%), mirroring Sabah's multicultural diversity.1 The results indicate a high overall level of knowledge regarding local traditional food (82.41% high knowledge score), alongside positive attitudes toward food preservation (54.7% positive attitude level; 35.4% very positive attitude level). In terms of daily behaviours, respondents demonstrated highly active engagement in sustaining food heritage (67.5% very positive practice level). A Spearman's rank correlation analysis revealed that attitude were strongly and positively associated with preservation practices (r=0.672, p<0.001). The findings indicate that the surveyed undergraduate students demonstrated relatively high knowledge and positive attitudes and practices towards traditional food preservation. These findings highlight the importance of community-based, educational and digital initiatives to encourage young adults to preserve traditional food heritage.
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