Impact of economic crisis in Sri Lanka on food consumption behaviors among medical students in Faculty of Health Care Sciences, Eastern University, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The current economic crisis in Sri Lanka has resulted in a catastrophic food scarcity, with the country's 21 million citizens now having to spend three times as much for essential foods. Decreases in incomes, increases in food prices, unavailability of basic food items, has led to changes in food consumption behaviors and preferences. Food insecurity at this moment of transition can negatively impact student’s cognitive, scholastic, and psychosocial development in long term. The objective of the study is to assess the impact of economic crisis in Sri Lanka on food consumption behaviors among medical students in Faculty of Health Care Sciences (FHCS), Eastern University, Sri Lanka (EUSL). A descriptive cross-sectional institution-based study, conducted among all the medical students of FHCS and given written consent to participate in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data through Google links. The questionnaire consisted information concerning socio- demographic backgrounds, food buying behavior and food preferences before and after economic crisis among the medical students. The Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS.v25) was used for analyzing and interpreting the data. According to the data received from the respondents (n=361), it was observed that 87 % responded 61.5% has stated that crisis has decreased their monthly family income. After the crisis majority has stated that they are expending in Rs. 15 000 - 30 000 for food monthly. Majority (77%) has mentioned that they mainly buy the essential foods and skipping the snacks. 74.5% of the participants have stated that now they are looking for discount promotions to purchase the food. According to the view of (80.9%) of the participants, there is a shortage of essential food items in shops during economic crisis. 68.4% have agreed that they had a reduced preference for the fast-food items. 77.8% of the participants have agreed that they have reduced the habit of vising the hotels, restaurants or food stalls during crisis period. 43.8% has mentioned that during crisis period, they do not prefer ready meals like Koththu, Fried rice of String hoppers and instant food products like Noodles, Soup etc. There is a reduction in consumption of meat, egg and fish and sea food during the crisis. 80.4% have agreed that it was difficult to find a balanced diet during this period. 71.7% has mentioned that they are not satisfied about the nutritional status of the meals. When selecting food, price has the highest priority over quality according to the majority. The price was one of the crucial factors to determine the respondent’s buying behavior during economic crisis. 44.6% of participants are now buying cheaper brands due to economic crisis. Economic crisis has negatively affected the student’s financial status, and the situation has led them to spend a quite amount for their food when comparing to their previous expenditure on food. It has caused changes in their previous food buying habits, has reduced the availability of basic food products, and has changed their preferences with regard to food quality and quantity. The ongoing crisis has affected the affordability, availability and accessibility of the food products during the crisis and it has directly influenced food consumption behaviors of medical students in Faculty of Health Care Sciences, Eastern University, Sri Lanka.