Association between ultra-processed food consumption and dietary intake with the risk of overweight and obesity among college students

Overweight and obesity have become more prevalent in Malaysia in recent years, putting Malaysians' health at risk. It has been reported that processed and ultra- processed foods are low in fiber, vitamins, and minerals and high in energy, sugar, and unhealthy fats, all of which increase the risk of obesity. This research aims to determine the association between dietary intake and ultra-processed food consumption with the risk of overweight and obesity among college students in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Puncak Alam. A cross-sectional study involving college students aged 19 to 26 years old was conducted in UiTM Puncak Alam, Selangor (n=339). Sociodemographic profile and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Furthermore, the data collection was also conducted through researcher-administered interviews over two days of 24-hour diet recall. The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in total energy, protein, fat, potassium, calcium, iron, folate, and fiber intake between the normal-weight (NW) group and the overweight/obese (OW/OB) group. However, there was no statistically significant difference in carbohydrate, sodium, sugar, and vitamin D intake between the NW group and the OW/OB group. Additionally, there was no statistically significant association between ultra-processed food consumption and the risk of overweight and obesity among college students in UiTM Puncak Alam. In conclusion, enhancing awareness towards dietary intake and highly consumed types of ultra-processed food associated with overweight and obesity is crucial to reduce the obesity rate among university students. Development of intervention programs to address this issue is substantial.