Predictors of physical activity for weekdays and weekends among adolescent – a cross-sectional study in Sarawak, Malaysia

This study aimed to describe the patterns of physical activities both at weekends and on weekdays and to identify their associated factors. Material/Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted among secondary school students aged 13-15 years old in Kuching Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic information and to measure perceived barriers, self-efficacies and social influences. Anthropometric measurements were taken and used to determine BMI-for-age, while pedometers were used to assess the physical activity levels. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results A total of 474 students from six secondary schools participated. About 16% of the respondents were overweight and obese, majority of them males. The mean BMI was 21.21±12.93, higher among males. The mean steps per day were 6251.37±3085.31, with weekends recorded a higher number of steps. The number of steps among males was higher than among females. On weekdays, self-motivation scores significantly predicted the participants’number of steps/physical activity rate (b = 521.43, 95% CI -72.78 to 1050.19). At weekends, lack of interest and knowledge scores (b = -427.82, 95% CI -837.72 to 17.92) and making choices scores (b = 737.41, 95% CI -197.94 to 1276.88) were significant to predict the number of steps/physical activity levels. Conclusions These findings indicated the importance of investigating predictors of physical activity for weekdays and weekends. Thus, efforts should focus on how to motivate adolescents to be more physically active targeting the identified predictors for weekdays and week ends

Disordered eating and body image issues and their associated factors among adolescents in urban secondary schools in Sarawak, Malaysia

Eating disorders are common health issues among the adolescents. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of eating disorders and their relationship with body mass index, body part satisfaction and perception on body weight among urban secondary school children. It was a cross-sectional study conducted in Kuching, Sarawak. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire that consist of the Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26), perception on body part satisfaction and body weight, and anthropometric measurement. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS version 22. A total of 329 respondents participated in this study with 59% females and 60.5% Malays. There were 14.3% of the respondents overweight and obese, with higher percentage among males (19.3%). About 18.5% of the respondents were found to be at risk of eating disorders with higher prevalence among males (19.3%). More females reported to have higher prevalence of body part dissatisfaction (46.9%) and body weight (37.6%) compared to males (40%, 28.1%). The statistical results indicated there were significant associations between EAT-26 and body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.039), body part satisfaction (p = 0.004), and perception of body weight (p = 0.038). Eating disorders are becoming more prevalent amongst adolescents, particularly among males. As eating disorder are strongly associated with adolescent mental and physical health, intervention programme on their developmental challenges and issues for both males and females should be in place particularly in the school education syllabus