ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: The objective of this study was to examine the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of adolescent’s vegetable intake in rural Terengganu, Malaysia. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study conducted at selected secondary schools in the districts of Marang and Hulu Terengganu from January 2019 until May 2019. By using multistage random sampling in schools and based on inclusion criteria, a total of 160 students was recruited. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of demographic information, knowledge, attitude and practice of vegetable intake was developed by the researchers. The reliability test showed that the validity and internal consistency of the questionnaire were acceptable with a Cronbach Alpha value of 0.701, 0.702 and 0.708 for knowledge, attitudes and practices, respectively. Results: The findings showed that respondents had ‘good’ knowledge (41%), ‘good’ attitudes (41%) and ‘fair’ practices (52%) towards the vegetable intake. There were a significant difference in the mean knowledge scores between male and female respondents (p=0.041) based on the Independent T-test. A positive correlation was observed between attitude and knowledge (r=0.38), attitude and practices (r=0.25) (p<0.05). The result also showed that respondent’s intake of vegetables was significantly correlated with knowledge (p=0.014) and attitudes (p=0.006). Conclusion: The findings showed that only 9% adolescents achieved adequate intake of vegetables per day based on recommendation by Malaysian Dietary Guideline. Therefore, if these population did not change their food behavioural intake, the incidence of chronic diseases was expected to rise during their adulthood.