Food Choice And Preferences Among Libyan Residents In The Klang Valley, Malaysia

This study emphasizes the importance of food as the basis of survival for every individual.
Food choice and preference of different immigrant groups in various parts of the world have
been known to be affected by various factors ranging from price and taste, to environment
and acculturation. The choice of food has also been reported to have a different influence on
the socio-cultural life in different parts of the world. Human migration from one place to
another has been going on throughout human history. Libya is an Arab country in North
Africa and its people are expected to exhibit Arab culture. Malaysia, on the other hand, is a
South-east Asian country with a unique socio-cultural heritage that has attracted people from
various parts of the world, Libya included. This research is aimed to determine the impact
of food choice and preferences among Libyans resident in the Klang Valley in Malaysia on
maintaining good health. A self-administered questionnaire of Libyan food choices and
preferences and daily calorie intake as well as BMI were the variables employed to analyze
the result of this study. From the result 252 questionnaires returned from 400 questionnaires
distributed (63%) to Libyan residents in the Klang Valley in Malaysia. The mean value of
the result of the descriptive statistics shows that Libyans who live in the Klang Valley prefer
to eat Halal and environmentally friendly place, prefer energy diluted food as well as
socialize and make friends. Also, the outcome of the multiple regression analysis shows that
there is significant positive relationship between food choice and preferences and sociocultural
background among Libyan residents in the Klang Valley in Malaysia. The study
shows that the food choice p-value = (. 000 <0.05), which means that there is positive
significant relationship between food choice and maintaining good health. Moreover, food
preference outcomes signify that p-value = (. 000 <0.05) which means that there is positive
significant relationship between food preferences and the maintenance of good health.
Keywords: food choice, food preference, good health, food calorie and body Mass Index
(BMI)