Yati Ashikin Abdul Wahab1 , Hanita Hashim2 , Noor Halini Baharim3 , Tuan Azmar Tuan Daud4 Nuriah Jusoh2
1 Faculty of Engineering and Life Sciences, Universiti Selangor (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
2 Faculty of Engineering and Life Sciences, Universiti Selangor (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
3 Faculty of Engineering and Life Sciences, Universiti Selangor (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
4 Faculty of Engineering and Life Sciences, Universiti Selangor (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
5 Procurement Department, HSBC Bank (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
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ABSTRACT
Anorexia nervosa is a type of emotional disorder that is characterized by the desire to lose weight excessively through refusing to eat nutritious food. Only a minority of anorexic patients receive mental health treatment while most cases remain undetected by healthcare professionals due to negative stigma surrounding the disease from the society and the lack of community awareness. The objectives of this study are to evaluate eating, weight, and exercise concerns among Malaysians and to analyze the correlation between these measurable variables. A survey was conducted among Malaysians using a simple random sampling method. The questionnaire consisted of questions on respondents’ demographic, eating disorder, weight concerns, eating concerns, and exercise concerns. Descriptive statistics comparing the mean and correlation analyses were conducted to analyze the data. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the mean for training anxiety of both genders. However, there were significant differences in the mean for eating behaviors and how their anorexia begins. The results of the correlation test showed that there is a positive linear relationship between weight and eating problems. There is also a positive linear relationship between exercise and weight concerns. Besides, the results of the study also indicated a positive linear relationship between eating and exercise attention. Surprisingly, Malaysians portray high levels of awareness toward factors that lead to Anorexia nervosa. The study offers useful information to healthcare professionals and the community at large in the form of early symptoms of the eating disorder which is subsequently useful for the provision of proper treatment to this mental health issue.
Keywords: Awareness, Anorexia Nervosa, Eating Disorder, Malaysia