Factors affecting the selection of Kadazandusun ethnic foods among students of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia

Ethnic food refers to food originating from a specific ethnic group. The study identifies the knowledge and factors in Kadazandusun ethnic food selection among students at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). A total of 410 students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah were recruited as respondents through the snowball method. This quantitative study used questionnaires to collect data. The closed-ended questionnaire has four parts: demographics, knowledge, factors affecting food selection, and Kadazandusun ethnic food consumption intention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented as frequencies, percentages, and mean values to address the study aims. In this study, 46.8% of the respondents had low knowledge (scale of 0 – 50) about Kadazandusun ethnic food. As factors that influence food selection, the health factor with an average value of 𝑥̅ =3.39±1.095 received a neutral response toward agreeing compared with the convenience factor ( 𝑥̅ = 3.17 ± 1.086), taste/sense of food ( 𝑥̅ =3.12 ± 1.170), price ( 𝑥̅ = 3.17 ± 1.134), and habit ( 𝑥̅ =2.55 ± 1.164). Therefore, awareness and ethnic food selection factors among students are still low. A mechanism that can promote ethnic food, especially among IPTA students, for sustainability, information dissemination, and consumption of traditional ethnic food, is needed so that it does not disappear.


Introduction
Food, in addition to providing energy and nutrients, fulfills the basic needs for the continuation of life. The choice of food, especially ethnic food, plays a role in individual living because it is a symbolic marker of ethnicity in addition to symbolizing the level of relationships, representing social status, defining group characteristics, and celebrating important events and festivals (1,2). Ethnic food is inherited, and specific ethnic group has culture, traditions, and symbols. The awareness and experimentation of ethnic foods are gaining attention because of international trade, globalization, migration, and the growing field of tourism (3).
Food selection is a complex process because it is also influenced by sensory food (e.g., taste, smell, and texture) (4,5) and non-food factors such as physical (e.g., geography, season, economy, food technology, location of purchase, and food availability), social (e.g., religion, social class, and knowledge about food), physiological (e.g., heredity, allergies, therapeutic diet, reception, and food requirements) (4,6), and finally informational factors (4). Food is an essential element to continuing living; there is a recent trend of trying out other ethnic foods that have cultural values and is seen as appreciating the ethnic and cultural specialties in addition to giving satisfaction to those who try ethnic foods (7).
The largest ethnic groups in Malaysia are the Malays, Chinese, and Indians, and each ethnic group has its food that symbolizes their ethnic uniqueness. Food from the three ethnic groups has different cooking methods and is often eaten by other ethnic communities, for example, the famous Malay ethnic food such as Nasi Lemak (8,9). Nevertheless, the Malaysian community still lacks exposure to ethnic minority foods (10), mainly ethnic food from Sabah and Sarawak.
In this study, Kadazandusun ethnic food such as Hinava, Tuhau (wild ginger), Butod (Sago grub), Busou, Pinasakan, and Bambangan (seasonal wild mango fruit) is being studied as this ethnic represents the largest population in Sabah, and some of the ethnic popular dishes are already categorized as heritage food (11,12). However, ethnic food is still less known and eaten by most of the Malaysian community because it is usually only found at Tamu markets or during the festive season in Sabah (12,13). The knowledge of ethnic food is usually spread through word of mouth, hands-on activities, observation, and consumption of ethnic food (14). Previous studies have examined ethnic foods from the perspective of knowledge, awareness, and food intake (15,16). However, few studies have focused on traditional food, especially among young adults in Sabah. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the knowledge of ethnic Kadazandusun food and food selection factors among students at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

Food Selection Factors of Traditional Food
Food selection is a combination of many biological and anthropological factors that interact in a complex and variable manner and influence food choices (17). Food selection is complicated because it can be influenced by food and non-food elements (4,18,19), conscious or unconscious decisions made at purchase or consumption, and any point in between (20,21). Psychological factors such as motives and emotions also have a significant influence on determining food choices among consumers (20). Selection factors are classified as personal, socio-economic, educational, biological, physiological, psychological, cultural, religious, regional, extrinsic, and intrinsic (22). In this study, the food selection factors evaluated were health (23,24), convenience (25,26), food sense (5,27), price (24,28), and habit (29,30).

Material and Methods
This quantitative study used questionnaires as research instruments modified and adapted from several studies (10,14,31,32). The questionnaire has four sections representing demographics, knowledge, factors influencing selection, and ethnic food consumption intentions.
The questionnaire survey was conducted online (i.e., Google Forms) and through faceto-face methods for 4 months (i.e., July to October 2019). Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used (33), and the inclusion criteria for respondents include non-Kadazandusun ethnicity and experience and knowledge of Kadazandusun food.
To facilitate the sampling of study respondents, the questionnaire was written in Bahasa Malaysia and English, and 410 undergraduate and postgraduate students of Universiti Malaysia Sabah in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, took part in this survey. The sample size was determined using the sampling table method (34). Through the pilot study, the reliability of the questionnaire was at α = 0.819, which is at a satisfactory level and can be used in research. To analyze the data obtained for the knowledge section, each correct answer was given 1 point. The overall scores were converted into 100 points and analyzed using table score knowledge (Table 3). Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, and mean value) was used to analyze demographic and food selection factors (33).

Results and Discussion
The findings explain the background of the respondent, knowledge level, respondent's score, and an explanation of the Kadazandusun ethnic food selection factors, which consist of health, convenience, sense of food, price, and habit.
The results showed that gender differences play a role in deepening or showing interest in traditional food (7,11,39). Primary school girls showed more interest in learning about traditional food than boys (39). Women more positively accept traditional food than men (7). In addition, gender plays a role in the selection of traditional food, where men prefer purchasing a la carte, whereas women choose healthier foods such as Kimchi, Bab (boiled rice), Jun (rice gruel), Guksu (noodles), and Mandy (dumplings) (7).
Age factors can also affect knowledge and food intake (16,43). Students aged <19 years in the high school prefer Emcheong and Han-gwa (sweet food category), whereas college students choose Bab (boiled rice), Tang (soup), and Guksu (noodles). In comparison, respondents in their 30s have different food choices (i.e., Bab, Tang, and Guksu) from those in their 40s (i.e., Gu-I [roast] and Jeon [pan-fried food] with seasoning, and those in their 50s choose Korean and Jang (sauce and paste) (7). Meanwhile, the introduction of traditional food for people aged 30-35 years in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, focuses more on rice, side dishes, and desserts. In comparison, the group aged >36 focused on rice, desserts, and side dishes (40).
Ethnic background and education (i.e., formal or informal) play essential roles in knowledge about other ethnic foods where individual and community perceptions differ because of diverse demographic and cultural backgrounds (7,41). In addition, financial factors affect knowledge and food intake, especially for Kadazandusun ethnic food. Most respondents allocate RM100-500 for food in a month, limiting the food selection. An example can be seen in other country, where individuals choose the type of food based on their financial ability, such as the purchase of Bab, Tang, and Guksu, whereas individuals who earn approximately W1,000,000 (RM3,343) a month compared with those who earn W5,000,000 (RM 16,715) where they can afford Korean and Jang (7). Table 2 reveals that respondents had a low knowledge with a score of 0-50 on the Kadazandusun ethnic food questionnaire (n = 192, 46.8%). Compared with the group with high knowledge with a score of 75-100, 96 (23.4%) of 410 respondents had low knowledge.  Figure 1 shows the frequency and percentage of each question answered correctly or incorrectly, accounting for the total number of 12 questions, including six questions on associating the name of the food with the picture given, two questions on identifying the name of the raw material used by the Kadazandusun ethnic group, and three questions on identifying cooking techniques and dish naming.

Knowledge level of the respondents
In this study, a high number of respondents answered 8 of the 12 questions correctly. The respondents could identify Kadazandusun ethnic food based on pictures, namely, Tuhau, Bambangan, Butod, and Hinava (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q5) and the main ingredients such as Tuhau and Bambangan, which are often used in Kadazandusun ethnic dishes (Q7, Q8, Q9, and Q10) where ≥50% of the respondents answered correctly (Figure 1). In Q3, 356 (85.6%) respondents could identify Butod as a Kadazandusun ethnic food based on the picture given, followed by Q9 with 316 (77.1%), Q2 with 309 (75.4%), Q10 with 293 (71.5%), Q1 with 259 (63.2%), Q5 with 254 (62%), Q8 with 242 (59%), and Q7 with 216 (52.7%). Figure 1 also shows ≥ 50% of the respondents could answer only Q4, Q6, Q11, and Q12. In Q12, 268 (65.4%) respondents failed to identify the name of the dishes "Busou ikan" based on the raw materials used, followed by Q11 with 257 (62.7%), Q6 with 222 (54.1%), and Q4 with 220 (53.7%). In this study, respondents have low knowledge of Kadazandusun ethnic food. Of 10 questions, more than 50% of the respondents could not answer Q4, Q6, Q11, and Q12. The question requires respondents to identify the names of Kadasandusun ethnic food dishes such as "Busou Ikan" and "Pinasakan" based on pictures and the names of foods based on the raw materials used. The respondents are unable to identify dishes based on pictures or descriptions of the main raw materials in the dish. The overall score shows a 50:50 score distribution on knowledge, with 46% of the respondents showing low/unsatisfactory knowledge of Kadazandusun food and ingredients. Owing to a lack of awareness or showing little interest in particular ethnic foods (i.e., Kadazandusun food), have similarity to previous studies (40,42) reporting that limited knowledge on preparation and lack of exposure may curtail individuals in learning traditional food.
It is also noted, factors that affect knowledge include ethnicity, gender, and age demographics of the respondents. This is in line with the findings of a previous study (39), stating that primary school students have a low knowledge score regarding traditional food, which is closely related to a lack of interest in it.

Selection factor
Selection factors include health, convenience, sense of food, price, and habit. The mean of each factor (Table 3) was the highest, i.e., health ( ̅ = 3.39 ± 1.095), followed by convenience ( ̅ = 3.17 ± 1.134) and price ( ̅ = 3.17 ± 1.086). The sensory factors of food ( ̅ = 3.12 ± 1.170) and habit ( ̅ = 2.55 ± 1.164) had the lowest mean.   Table 4 explains the mean value and frequency of each selection. Each factor has three or five questions. Most respondents, on average, chose "neutral" for all selection factors, which shows that they generally chose the middle side between agreeing and disagreeing.
In contrast to the convenience factor, of five questions, four showed that the respondents chose "neutral" in Q1 ( ̅ = 3.40 ± 1.1.124), Q3 ( ̅ =3.13 ± 1.035), Q4 ( ̅ =3.27 ± 1.027), and Q5 ( ̅ = 3.20 ± 1.126) for "Kadazandusun traditional food facility." Only Q2 was related to the ease of getting traditional Hinava food at a restaurant or workplace ( ̅ = 2.83 ± 1.120), in which 131 people choose "neutral" and 123 people disagreed that traditional Hinava food is easy to find in stores.  Table 5 shows that under the food sensory factor question, respondents chose "neutral" for Q1 ( ̅ = 3.36 ± 1.075), Q3 ( ̅ = 3.03 ± 1.216), and Q4 ( ̅ = 3.12 ± 1.188). In Q2 ( ̅ = 2.96 ± 1.200), 132 respondents chose "neutral," whereas 92 respondents disagreed with the statement that "Hinava has good food presentation." For the price factor, respondents chose "neutral" for Q1 ( ̅ = 3.28 ± 1.080), Q2 ( ̅ = 3.13 ± 1.035), and Q3 ( ̅ = 3.09 ± 1.287). Q1 had the highest mean value, in which 132 respondents chose "neutral" and 121 agreed with the statement "Bambangan pickle is not expensive." The last selection factor was a habit factor, where respondents chose to disagree with Q1 ( ̅ = 2.45 ± 1.172), Q2 ( ̅ = 2.71 ± 1.206), and Q3 ( ̅ = 2.48 ± 1.115). Q1 had the lowest mean value, where 131 respondents disagreed with the statement "I always eat Kadazandusun ethnic food," and 97 strongly disagreed with this statement. In summary, of the selection factors, namely, health, convenience, food sensory, price, and habit, most of the respondents chose "neutral" in giving their opinion to four factors; however, respondents disagree with the statements on habit factor in the consumption of Kadazandusun ethnic foods such as Bambangan and Busou pickles. In addition, the respondents did not have experience consuming this food during childhood because the respondents were from various ethnic groups other than the Kadazandusun ethnic group; thus, they could not give an opinion on their consumption experience. In addition, the expense factor of ethnic food was affected by the spending point of view of the respondents, i.e., they spend RM100-500 per month, which is >50% of the total amount. The findings of the intake factor can be linked to the opinion that the younger generation needs more knowledge and skills on traditional food owing to a lack of interest in learning it and factors such as identifying raw ingredients, preparation method, lack of exposure during traditional food manufacturing because food preparation takes a long time, knowledge transfer gap between generations (old and young), and the ease of obtaining food traditional already prepared and sold in stores or online. All these factors contribute to limitations on the skills and knowledge of the younger generation regarding traditional food (40,42).

Conclusions
Nearly half of the respondents had difficulty recognizing Kadazandusun ethnic foods dishes and their ingredients. As mentioned in the introduction, some Kadazandusun foods are already listed as part of heritage food. It represents a part of Sabah food identity where various ethnicities in Sabah reside, such as Kadazandusun, Bugis, Brunei, Bajau, and other ethnic minorities. The results showed a low awareness of traditional food, which may create an issue of the sustainability of traditional food, especially those already listed as heritage food. Selection factors such as health, convenience, food sensory, price, and habit were perceived by most of the respondents as neutral, which means that they were unable to agree on the statements under four factors, especially on the habit factors showing that the respondents were not familiar with ethnic food, which corresponds with the level of knowledge.
This study is limited to demographic data such as age and ethnic background, which might bias the knowledge and perception of Kadazandusun food. Further studies including personnel working in and outside the university area, including districts in Sabah such as Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Sandakan, Papar, Kudat, and Kota Belud, are warranted to obtain more valuable information.