Publication: Diet Quality and Nutritional Status of Orang Asli (Aboriginal) Children of Cameron Highlands’ Resettlement Villages, Malaysia
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Date
2021
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Abstract
Due to poverty, Orang Asli, Peninsular Malaysia’s indigenous people, are vulnerable to insufficient food consumption, which results in undernutrition and poor diet quality among children. Although the government has launched relocation programs to enhance Orang Asli’s living conditions, nothing is known regarding their repercussion on children’s nutritional status and diet quality. This study enrolled 120 Orang Asli children between the ages of 6 and 9 who lived in resettlement settlements in the Cam eron Highlands. The purpose of this study was to determine the nutritional status and diet quality of these children. The children were chosen using a consecutive sampling technique and were chosen based on their availability and willingness to reply. After obtaining informed consent from their parents or caregivers, they were interviewed for sociodemographic information, dietary consumption, and nutritional status assessment. Their parents/caregivers assisted with the assessment. The dietary recall was gathered using a two-day 24-hour dietary recall form, and diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Index-1995 (HEI), whereas nutritional status was calculated using body mass index for age (BMI-for-age). Findings showed that Orang Asli children consumed adequate amount of energy and macronutrients but lacked micronutrients (calcium, Vitamin D, A, and C intakes). The mean overall HEI score was 58.9, indicating that they needed to improve their dietary intake. In comparison to other dietary groups, grains had the highest mean HEI score (9.8±0.7). The Orang Asli children scored highly on the fat component score (8.5±2.9). Orang Asli children consumed about maximum amount of salt score (9.4±2.4). Meat and milk had comparable mean composite scores (3.9±3.0). Fruit (2.6±2.7) and vegetable intake (1.2±2.0) had the lowest mean score of any food group. Orang Asli children also consumed a limited variety of foods score (2.4±4.3). Around 68.3% of children have a normal BMI for their age, followed by those who are undernourished (17.5%) and those who are overnourished (14.1%). There is no evidence of an association between diet quality and nutritional status in this study (r = -0.102, p = 0.267). Taken together, resettlement programs established by Malaysia’s Department of Aboriginal Affairs (JAKOA) may not substantially increase the Orang Asli community’s dietary quality, particularly among children. As a result, there is a clear need for a nutrition education module that would assist Orang Asli parents in preparing more healthy diets for their children.