Malaysian youth eating behaviour for a better quality of life: a conceptual insights / Dynatalie Delicious, Chemah Tamby Chik and Lovelyna Benedict Jipiu

Youth in Malaysia have a low quality of life due to unhealthy eating behaviour, which has led to an increase in the prevalence of obesity and mental illness. The World Health Organization's Quality of Life (WHOQOL) index is a crucial tool for understanding how people see their position in life, including their goals, and aspirations, as well as the culture and value systems in which they live. Many articles have been written regarding the health benefits of healthy eating behaviour and its impact on a person's mental health. However, in Malaysia, the benefits of healthy eating behaviour that affected the quality of life and mental health have not been thoroughly investigated. Aside from that, it was highlighted that this study is still in the embryonic stage and more research needs to be done. This study will therefore help in understanding the Quality-of-life model preferences for the researcher to assess an individual level of life satisfaction and how and why these preferences will improve one's eating behaviour and mental health. There will be 350 respondents from the age group 18 to 30 years involved in this study and must be residing within Malaysia. A cross-sectional approach that includes a survey form that uses the WHOQOL questionnaire, Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). Prior studies have shown that making healthier eating choices might enhance quality of life and psychological concerns including depression and stress. Therefore, these findings are expected to motivate youth to adopt healthier eating habits and an active lifestyle to improve their quality of life.