Charlie G Y Lim1, Rob M van Dam2. 1. Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore. 2. Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore; Department of Nutrition and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: rob.van.dam@nus.edu.sg.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Attitudes and beliefs regarding food are known to influence dietary behaviours and may reflect cultural traditions. Therefore, understanding the food culture in the population is important to inform culturally relevant and acceptable public health interventions. OBJECTIVE: (1) To evaluate attitudes towards pleasure and health with regard to eating and its association with healthy eating intentions. (2) To assess traditional beliefs about 'hot-cold balance' and its influence on food choice. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online research panel comprising of 787 male and female adults of Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicity recruited from population-based cohorts and public housing estates in Singapore. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess beliefs and attitudes towards food. To evaluate the association of beliefs and attitudes with socio-demographic determinants and potential consequences for healthy eating intentions, multivariable logistic regression was used with adjustment for age, gender and ethnicity. RESULTS: Beliefs about the importance of considering hot-cold balance for food choice were common among all three Asian ethnic groups and most prominent among the Chinese ethnic group (56.3% Malay, 64.5% Indian and 72.4% Chinese). The majority of participants (73.8%) often consider the effects of diet on health, but also value eating pleasure greatly (84.9%). Older age was associated with a shift in attitudes from valuing eating pleasure towards health. Valuing the importance of food for health was associated with a wide range of healthy eating intentions, whereas highly valuing eating pleasure was associated with a lower intention to reduce salt intake. CONCLUSION: In a cosmopolitan Asian population, both eating for health and eating for pleasure were valued highly and traditional beliefs regarding the hot-cold balance were held by the majority.
BACKGROUND: Attitudes and beliefs regarding food are known to influence dietary behaviours and may reflect cultural traditions. Therefore, understanding the food culture in the population is important to inform culturally relevant and acceptable public health interventions. OBJECTIVE: (1) To evaluate attitudes towards pleasure and health with regard to eating and its association with healthy eating intentions. (2) To assess traditional beliefs about 'hot-cold balance' and its influence on food choice. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online research panel comprising of 787 male and female adults of Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicity recruited from population-based cohorts and public housing estates in Singapore. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess beliefs and attitudes towards food. To evaluate the association of beliefs and attitudes with socio-demographic determinants and potential consequences for healthy eating intentions, multivariable logistic regression was used with adjustment for age, gender and ethnicity. RESULTS: Beliefs about the importance of considering hot-cold balance for food choice were common among all three Asian ethnic groups and most prominent among the Chinese ethnic group (56.3% Malay, 64.5% Indian and 72.4% Chinese). The majority of participants (73.8%) often consider the effects of diet on health, but also value eating pleasure greatly (84.9%). Older age was associated with a shift in attitudes from valuing eating pleasure towards health. Valuing the importance of food for health was associated with a wide range of healthy eating intentions, whereas highly valuing eating pleasure was associated with a lower intention to reduce salt intake. CONCLUSION: In a cosmopolitan Asian population, both eating for health and eating for pleasure were valued highly and traditional beliefs regarding the hot-cold balance were held by the majority.