Social determinants of food choice motives among young adults in Malaysia during the transition to the endemic phase of COVID-19

Changes in socioeconomic status due to the pandemic-led economic crisis could profoundly impact an individual’s food choice motives. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the food choice motives of young adults residing in Malaysia during the transition to the endemic phase of COVID-19 and to investigate the differences in food choice motives by referring to their socio-demographic characteristics. This cross-sectional web-based study recruited 630 young adults aged 15-30 through a combination of convenience and snowball sampling approaches. They were required to self-report their socio-demographic information, while the food choice motives were assessed using a validated 36-item Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). Emerging findings demonstrated that sensory appeal, price, and mood were the top three rated food choice motives by young adults residing in Malaysia during the transition to the endemic phase of COVID-19. Gender, age, marital status, monthly earned income, and educational attainment were the predominant determinants of food choice motives among young adults. Government and non-governmental organisations should collaborate on intervention programs that educate the younger generation on healthy eating and help them make informed food choices.