Animal and Plant Protein Food Sources in Indonesia Differ Across Socio-Demographic Groups: Socio-Cultural Research in Protein Transition in Indonesia and Malaysia

Helda Khusun; Judhiastuty Februhartanty; Roselynne Anggraini; Elise Mognard; Yasmine Alem; Mohd Ismail Noor; Norimah Karim; Cyrille Laporte; Jean-Pierre Poulain; Pablo Monsivais; Adam Drewnowski

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.762459

Animal and Plant Protein Food Sources in Indonesia Differ Across Socio-Demographic Groups: Socio-Cultural Research in Protein Transition in Indonesia and Malaysia

Front Nutr. 2022 Feb 11:9:762459. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.762459. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Helda Khusun¹, Judhiastuty Februhartanty¹, Roselynne Anggraini¹, Elise Mognard^{2

3}, Yasmine Alem^{2

3

4}, Mohd Ismail Noor⁵, Norimah Karim⁵, Cyrille Laporte⁴, Jean-Pierre Poulain^{2

3

4}, Pablo Monsivais⁶, Adam Drewnowski⁷

Affiliations

¹ SEAMEO Regional Center for Food and Nutrition (RECFON)-Pusat Kajian Gizi Regional Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.
² Taylor's Toulouse University Center, Subang Jaya, Malaysia.
³ Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya, Malaysia.
⁴ CERTOP UMR-CNRS 5044, University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France.
⁵ Faculty of Health Sciences, Community Health Centre, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
⁶ Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, WA, United States.
⁷ Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health Nutrition, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.

Abstract

Background: Plant-based diets in lower-income countries are often associated with inadequate protein nutrition and adverse health outcomes.

Objective: To examine the diversity of protein food sources, in both animal and plant, across diverse socio-demographic groups in Indonesia as compared to Malaysia.

Design: The SCRiPT (Socio Cultural Research in Protein Transition) study was based on population-based samples recruited in Indonesia (N = 1665) and in Malaysia (N = 1604). Data from 24-h in-person dietary recalls in each country were used to construct the frequency counts of protein sources by food group. Protein sources were defined as fish, poultry, red meat (beef, pork, and mutton), eggs, dairy, and plants (cereals, pulses, and tubers). The percent reported frequencies for animal and plant proteins were compared across socio-demographic strata and by country. Analyses were based on one-way Anovas and general linear model regressions adjusting for covariates.

Results: Animal protein frequency counts were 34% of total in Indonesia, but 50% in Malaysia's. Higher reported consumption frequencies for poultry and red meat in both countries were associated with urban living, greater modernization, and higher socioeconomic status, with stronger social gradients observed in Indonesia. Reported fish consumption was higher in Indonesia than in Malaysia. Fish was more likely to be listed by rural island populations in Indonesia and was associated with lower education and incomes. Consumption frequencies for plant-based proteins were associated with lower socio-economic status in Indonesia and in Malaysia.

Conclusions: More affluent groups in both countries reported higher frequencies for meat, eggs, and dairy as opposed to fish. Greater economic development in Southeast (SE) Asia is associated with more animal protein, particularly from poultry, which may displace fish, the traditional source of high quality protein for the region.

Keywords: Indonesia; Malaysia; animal protein; fish; plant protein; protein transition; socio-demographics.