Universal Journal of Public Health Vol. 11(6), pp. 894 - 900
DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2023.110614
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Application of Principal Component Analysis on Fat Intake Behavior

Nor Hamizah Abdullah ¹, Marina Abdul Manaf ^1,*, Ruhaya Hasan ^2
1 School of Health Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia
² School of Dental Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Cohort studies in the past have shown that a high-fat diet is a major risk factor for excessive weight gain. The Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2020 also recommend reducing the intake of foods high in fat and limiting the intake of saturated fat. Thus, this study was conducted to identify the fat intake behavior among staff at the Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia. This is a cross-sectional study, in which respondents were recruited by convenience sampling. A questionnaire was used to assess the behavior of respondents regarding their fat intake practices. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the questionnaire items to identify significant components. The results show that PCA has successfully identified six components of the fat intake behavior with eigenvalues greater than 1, which accounted for 62.9% of the variance. The components can be summarized as snacking on foods high in fat, consuming desserts associated with fat, using oil in the cooking method, consuming fatty portions in a meal, selecting healthier choices of food products, and consuming creamy foods. This study found that the mean values for all items ranged between 0.97 and 2.71, which falls under the category of negative fat intake behavior, reflecting high-fat consumption. The results suggest that more nutritional intervention is needed to increase awareness of healthy dietary practices among Malaysians.

KEYWORDS
Behavior, Fat, Principal Component Analysis, Questionnaire

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Nor Hamizah Abdullah , Marina Abdul Manaf , Ruhaya Hasan , "Application of Principal Component Analysis on Fat Intake Behavior," Universal Journal of Public Health, Vol. 11, No. 6, pp. 894 - 900, 2023. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2023.110614.

(b). APA Format:
Nor Hamizah Abdullah , Marina Abdul Manaf , Ruhaya Hasan (2023). Application of Principal Component Analysis on Fat Intake Behavior. Universal Journal of Public Health, 11(6), 894 - 900. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2023.110614.