Prevalence of physical inactivity and its associated factors among undergraduate students in Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia during covid-19 pandemic lockdown

Ismail Farook Ameerali, Nurul Hidayah and Suparmaniam, Khirthanaa and Mohd Yoki, Nuzul Aiman Syafiq (2021) Prevalence of physical inactivity and its associated factors among undergraduate students in Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia during covid-19 pandemic lockdown. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Introduction: Physical inactivity is the main cause o f n oncommunicable diseases and mortality. It also became a concern among university students due to COVID-19 pandemic. Movement Control Order (MCO) w as i mplemented during this pandemic which restricted outdoor activities. This may be a huge factor that increases the prevalence of p hysical inactivity among Malaysians. Therefore, the general objective of t his study is to determine the prevalence of p hysical inactivity and its associated factors among undergraduate students in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Objectives: This study aims to determine the prevalence of physical inactivity and its associated factors characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, programme, part time work, academic activities, perceived benefits and barriers towards physical activity, body image, and internet addiction among undergraduate students in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Methodology: A cross sectional study conducted using convenience sampling method. There were a few instruments used in the questionnaire such as self-administered questionnaires for sociodemographic factors and academic activities, Internal Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for the physical activity intensities, Internet Addiction Test (IAT) to assess t he severity of the internet dependency, Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale to assess perceived benefits and ii barriers to physical activity and Dresden Body Image Questionnaire for the perception of the body image assessment. All the data collected was analysed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0. The data analysis involved descriptive analysis and Mann-Whitney Test was u sed f or c ontinuous data while Chi-square t est used f or c ategorical data. The significance of the independent factors on physical inactivity was assessed using multiple logistic regression. Results: A total of 670 students were recruited for the study. The findings revealed t hat the prevalence of physical activity among respondents was 29.4% whose physical activity levels were below 600 MET-minutes/week. The prevalence of p hysical inactivity was h igher in females (31.5%) than in males (22.1%). U sing m ultiple logistic regression, physical inactivity was h igher among health sciences students than in medical students (OR = 1.577, 95% CI = 1.109, 2.243, p<0.05). The odds of being physically inactive is higher among those with lower perceived benefits score (OR = 0.872, 95% CI = 0.823, 0.923, p<0.001). Therefore, programme and perceived benefits scale were significantly associated with physical inactivity among respondents in this study. Conclusion : Conclusively, there is significant decrease in physical inactivity among university students when compared with previous studies in this population. 29.4% of t he total respondents is a huge number of students who are physically inactive. Therefore, it is recommended that counselling on physical activity awareness among new u niversity students should be encouraged. The findings of this study might be used t o better understand how various factors influence students' physical inactivity. Hence, the findings suggest that regular physical activity should be promoted during the COVID-19 pandemic among university students to enhance their health.

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2023 06:25
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2023 06:25
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1010

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