The study aims to measure the frequency of eating out, the prevalence of using “convenience food” and how lifestyle choices correlate with obesity.
The project, called the Hong Kong food barometer, hopes to obtain data that will help describe how food habits vary according to social status, gender and ethnicity. It also aims to measure the frequency of eating out, the prevalence of using “convenience food” and how lifestyle choices correlate with obesity.
The project is a follow-up of the Malaysian food barometer, which found, for example, that 38.5% of all Malaysian meals are consumed outside the home. This, the researchers say, is probably one of the highest rates of dining out in the world and raises concerns for diet management and higher risks of non-communicable diseases and obesity.
A further, larger follow-up to the Malaysian food barometer is expected in the near future, with the research team planning to compare food barometer data from Malaysia, Hong Kong and other South-East Asian countries.
For further information contact:
Professor Jean-Pierre Poulain
Taylor’s Toulouse University Center
Taylor’s University, Malaysia
E-mail: [email protected]
