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MATHEMATICAL MODELING WITH INTEGER PROGRAMMING FOR COST-EFFECTIVE AND NUTRIENT-BALANCED MEALS FOR MALAYSIAN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
Keywords:
optimization, integer programming, mathematical modelingDOI:
https://doi.org/10.17654/Abstract
Menu planning is a multi-objective optimization problem involving cost, preference, nutrition and constraints. Malnutrition, arising from both undernutrition and overnutrition, is prevalent among low-income groups and Malaysian children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who often require special diets. Manual menu planning is time-consuming and must also account for cultural and local food considerations. This study applies mathematical modeling and integer programming (IP) to design healthy yet affordable menus for Malaysian ASD children aged 7-12 years. Using 426 local recipes, the IP model generated a one-day diet plan (18 dishes across six meals) that met national dietary guidelines at a cost of Ringgit Malaysia (RM) 9.24 for boys. The findings highlight the potential of IP for delivering low-cost, individualized nutrition. Future research could extend this approach to develop weekly, non-repeating meal plans for broader application.
Received: August 16, 2025
Revised: August 30, 2025
Accepted: September 8, 2025
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