ABSTRACT
For the last two decades the diet, health and socioeconomic life of villagers in a kampung on the East Coast of the Malay Peninsula have been a focus of study for me, in which techniques of nutritional and anthropological research have been used. Formerly rural, remote and dependent on sea fishing for subsistence, this community has experienced marked socioeconomic change since the late 1970’s due to exploitation of offshore oil in the South China Sea, that has altered the resource base, food choices and activity patterns, all of which influence body size and health.
