Determination of factors associated with physical activity levels among adolescents attending school in Kuantan, Malaysia.
Year: 2011
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey III (MOH, 2008) indicate a 43.7% prevalence of physical inactivity among Malaysian adults. This sedentary lifestyle can also be observed among children and adolescents. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine factors associated with physical activity levels of four hundred, 13 year-old adolescents in Kuantan, Pahang. Data on socio-demographic, health-related, and psychosocial factors were collected using a self-administered questionnaire while physical activity level was assessed using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). RESULTS: About one-third of the respondents were in the low physical activity level category, 61.5% were in the moderate category and only 3.0% of the adolescents were in the high physical activity level category. Males were more physically active than females (chi2 = 23.667, p = 0.0001) with female adolescents (45.1%) twice as likely as male adolescents (22.1%) to be in the low physical activity level category. The associations between physical activity level with socio-demographic and health-related factors, perception of weight status and body parts satisfaction were not significant. However, physical activity was found to be positively correlated with physical activity self-efficacy (r = 0.496, p = 0.0001), peer influence ( r = 0.468, p = 0.0001), family influence (r = 0.298, p = 0.0001) and beliefs in physical activity outcomes (r = 0.207, p = 0.0001). Negative relationships were found between physical activity with depression (r = -0.116, p = 0.021) and body size discrepancy (r = -0.143, p < 0.01). Respoedbnts who had a better perception of their current health status were more physically active chi2 = 21.062, p = 0.0001). Multivariate analyses for the prediction of physical activity showed that physical activity self-efficacy, sex and peer influence were the most significant contributors in explaining physical activity among adolescents. CONCLUSION: Physical activity interventions should include psychosocial components as mediator variables in interventions designed to promote regular physical activity in adolescence.
Source: PubMed
Authors: S P Dan, Nasir M T Mohd, M S Zalilah
Institution: Universiti Putra Malaysia
Language: English
Topic: Physical Activity and Health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2122545629