Community priorities for obesity prevention among low-income adults in Kuala Lumpur: a discrete choice experiment.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the factors that increase NCD risk, such as obesity, are widespread and increasing in Malaysia. Low-income communities are particularly vulnerable to these risk factors. The Better Health Programme (BHP) Malaysia conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to elicit community member preferences for evidence-based health promotion interventions to prevent obesity and NCDs. DCE is a research method used to identify participant preferences between different pre-determined options. The DCE survey was conducted with community members (n = 1453) from three publicly supported low-cost, high-rise flat complexes in urban Kuala Lumpur. In the survey, community members were asked to choose between different potential sets of interventions to alter the environment to prevent obesity. Based on their responses, we determined which interventions were most preferred in each community. The most preferred interventions were those that reduced the price of fruit and vegetables; altered cooking practices at restaurants and food vendors to reduce salt, sugar and oil; and offered rewards for completing online educational activities. The survey enabled the clear articulation of these community priorities for evidence-based interventions. These priorities were used to design the BHP Malaysia intervention programme.