Lim, Zhi Qian (2020) A survey on students’ knowledge and consumption pattern of bubble milk tea in a private university, Kajang. Final Year Project, UTAR.
Abstract
Bubble milk tea (BMT) is a recent craze on social media and in high demand. Due to its rising popularity especially among the young adults, there has been a mushrooming of bubble milk tea vendors and shops in Malaysia. However, bubble milk tea is not a healthy choice as it contains high sugar content. The public seems to have wrong perceptions on this issue to take it healthier than other sugary beverages. This situation can cause the consumers to take in sugar without knowing and contribute to higher risk of disease such as obesity, overweight, diabetes and other comorbidities. To determine the prevalence, consumption pattern and knowledge level on BMT and its health effects among the university students. This study is a descriptive survey. A total of 404 university students who aged 18 and above and pursuing studies in a private university in Kajang were selected as participants through convenience sampling method, with 383 of them remained eligible. Self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection after obtaining consent. The questionnaire was divided into three sections to assess socio-demographic data, BMT consumption pattern, and knowledge level on BMT and its health effects. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential analysis. The prevalence of BMT consumption was as high as 93.0% among the participants, with majority of them consuming for more than 3 years. Peer influence was the main factor affecting the consumption. Drinking BMT in regular cup size and half sugar during snack time was the preference. Only 62.9% and 60.3% of the consumers knew the sugar and calorie content in one standard cup of BMT respectively. Diabetes, weight gain and obesity topped the health effects of BMT consumption by participants. The knowledge levels were influenced by different socio-demographics including age, gender, program and faculty of study and consumption patterns including duration of drinking BMT and choice of sugar level. There was high prevalence of BMT consumption with a lack of knowledge regarding the sugar and calorie content of BMT among the university students. Majority of them were able to identify health effects such as diabetes, weight gain and obesity. Actions and interventions are recommended and encouraged to increase the awareness on importance of having proper sugar intake among the university students.
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