Food Preferences and Determinants of Food Preferences in Early Adults Who Have Been Infected with Covid-19 in Semarang City

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has the potential to cause changes in food choices and influencing factors, especially in groups of subjects who have been infected. Food preferences and the factors that influence them can lead to new and long-term dietary habits. Objective: To describe food preferences and determinants of food selection in groups of early adults who have been infected with Covid-19 in Semarang City. Methods: The design of this study is a cross-sectional study with 75 early adult subjects who had been infected with Covid-19 in Semarang City, which was selected using the purposive sampling method. Food preferences and determinants of food choice were assessed using a 4 Point Likert Scale using the Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ) with the Indonesian food database in the FFQ and the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) which had been validated in previous studies. Univariate analysis was used for data on food preferences and determinants of food selection. Result: Food preferences are grouped into seven categories, with the most chosen food ingredients for the carbohydrate category being noodles, the vegetable category is mushrooms, the animal protein category is chicken meat, the vegetable protein category is tempeh, the fruit category is mango, the beverage category is cow's milk, the snack category is martabak telur. The highest determinant of food selection is the health factor. Conclusion: The food preferences per category that the subjects liked the most were noodles, vegetables category was mushrooms, animal protein category was chicken, vegetable protein category was tempeh, fruit category was mango, beverage category was cow's milk, and snacks category was egg martabak. The determinant of food preference which is considered the most important by the subject is the health factor. Keywords: food preferences, determinants of Food Choice, Covid-19