The moderating role of religiosity and eating lifestyle on the relationship between fast food industry CSR practices and youth’s perception towards healthy eating promotion in Malaysia

Obesity, often referred to as the silent killer, has been creeping into Malaysian society due to high-calorie food intake, unhealthy food choices, sedentary lifestyles, and metabolic dysfunction, despite numerous obesity prevention programmes being implemented. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies obesity as one of the most critical challenges to global health in the 21st century. WHO introduced the term "globesity" to characterise obesity as a global epidemic. Nowadays, fast food is a popular choice among the young generation, as it is often associated with convenience, affordability and taste. Nevertheless, the continuous consumption of fast food increases the risk of obesity among the young generation due to its high content of unhealthy fats, salt, and sugar. Ensuring the daily consumption of nutritious food is paramount to achieving a healthy diet. The fast food industry has an ethical responsibility to engage in health-related Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities such as innovation in advertising, adjustment in portion sizes and transparent nutritional labelling. Hence, this study employed an explanatory mixed method approach in which the data collection was performed through distribution of questionnaires and interviews. A 5-point Likert-scale survey was utilised to explore the perceptions of 684 young individuals towards the four types of CSR practices performed by the fast food industry: namely, economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic. Several analyses including Multiple Regression Analysis and PROCESS Analysis were conducted to fulfil the research objectives. The findings indicate that young individuals perceive that three types of CSR: economic, legal, and ethical as having a significant relationship with youth’s perception on CSR effectiveness towards healthy eating promotion. In contrast, philanthropic CSR is not seen to have a meaningful impact. Furthermore, the PROCESS analysis confirms that religiosity plays a moderating role in the relationship between economic CSR activities and the effort to combat the rise of globesity among the younger generation. Meanwhile, Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the interview transcripts. The findings from an interview session with two representatives from the fast food industry, revealed that the industry's commitment to implementing health-related CSR initiatives aimed at promoting healthy eating among young consumers and reducing obesity cases in Malaysia. In addition, two informants from the Ministry of Health explained that the government continues to ensure that food operators in Malaysia comply with food regulations and standards to guarantee food that is safe, of high quality, and nutritious. These findings underscore the importance of the fast food industry in upholding its social responsibility by actively promote healthy eating habits, the government's role in aligning national policies with international public health objectives, and the need for individuals to develop greater self-awareness in managing their calorie consumption.