Understanding The Influence of the Food Environment on Dietary Behaviours and Nutritional Outcomes of Peri-urban Communities: A Case Study of Semenyih, Selangor

Doctoral student: Chong Xin Xuan Supervisors: Prof Festo Massawe, Dr Lee Siew Siew, Dr Trylee Nyasha Matongera, Dr Goh Ee Von and Prof Alex Lechner

Malnutrition is widespread in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), with poor diets and nutrition being major contributors, driven by shifts towards unhealthy food environments across the rural-urban continuum. Peri-urban areas, referred to as transitional zones between urban and rural areas, are also faced with a growing burden ofmalnutrition. High rates of food insecurity in these areas further add to the challenges in accessing healthy diets. These areas are critical as they currently house 25% ofthe world’s population and are expected to becomehomesfor future urban dwellers.

Malaysia has seen an unabated rise in malnutrition prevalence over the past few decades, especially overweight and obesity. Peri-urban areas are not spared, with a nationwide study highlighting them as hotspots for high body mass index (BMI) clusters, indicating a higher prevalence of overweight or obese. Despite their dynamic and complex nature, food environment research in peri-urban areas is often limited, and their impacts on dietary behaviours and nutritional outcomes are underexplored.

This study aims to assess the food environment and its influence on dietary behaviors and nutritional outcomes in Semenyih, a peri-urban area in Selangor, Malaysia.

The objectives are to:

1. Characterise the food environment, focusing onthe dimensions ofavailability, accessibility, and affordability.

2. Examine the relationship between foodenvironment with diet qualityand nutritionaloutcomes ofthe community.

3. Explore changes to foodenvironment over time andtheirinfluence onthe community’sfooddecision-making.

A Public Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) approach will be employed to map the food environment. Moreover, in-person surveys of around 400 individuals will be done to assess sociodemographic, diet quality, food insecurity, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, while semi structured qualitative interviews will explore how changes to food environment dimensions affect food decision-making of the community. The goal is to identify potential entry points for creating a healthier food environment that supports healthy food choices and dietary patterns, ultimately reducing the prevalence ofmalnutrition.