Attitudes and Exercise Habits of University Alumni Receiving Different Physical Education Programs in Hong Kong

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that regular physical activity (PA) can enhance lifelong health. Provision of physical education (PE) courses in universities may be one of the important methods to promote lifelong PA. PURPOSE: To compare the attitudes and exercise habits of alumni from universities in Hong Kong with different PE programs. METHODS: Alumni (N=1329) of two comprehensive universities in Hong Kong, namely the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU), were invited to answer a questionnaire on-line. CUHK provides two-credit required PE courses whereas HKU has no such requirement for graduation. The self-administered questionnaire was sent by e-mail to all alumni of both universities who had graduated between 2001 and 2005. They were requested to complete and return it via e-mail. The questionnaire collected demographic data and information about their attitudes and exercise habits. RESULTS: The CUHK alumni gave greater value (p< .05) to their university's PE courses in terms of their contributions to their knowledge of fitness, attitudes towards PA and their impact on fostering a sense of belonging to the university, when compared with the HKU alumni who had no PE required courses. Alumni from HKU, however, were found to be more active (p< .05), as measured by the average number of minutes per exercise workout and average number of workouts per week, than the CUHK alumni after graduation. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study suggested that university required PE courses contribute to the enhancement of knowledge of fitness and positive attitude towards PA among alumni. However, such learning experience might not associate with their exercise habits after graduation. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This study was funded by the Direct Grant for Research of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This study was kindly assisted by the Aumni Affairs Office of CUHK and the Development & Alumni Affairs Office of HKU.