Domain-Specific Sedentary Behaviour and Health-Related Quality of Life by Age among Japanese Living in Malaysia.

Abstract

Recently, the number of Japanese people living in Asia has increased. A previous study suggested that obesity and overweight are growing health problems both in Malaysia and worldwide that result from lifestyle changes such as a decrease in physical activity, an increase in sedentary behaviour, and poor eating habits. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of differences in social demographic factors and domain-specific sedentary behaviour and health-related quality of life by age in Japanese living overseas. We surveyed 109 participants by self-entry questionnaire for social demographic factors and domain-specific sedentary behaviour by life scenario and by Short Form-36 (SF-36) for healthrelated quality of life. The subjects were divided into the ≥65 years group and <65 years group. Significant differences were noted in age, employment, alcohol intake, and marital status between the groups, whereas none were noted for transportation, driving, television viewing, and smartphone/personal computer use. Work time and total sitting time of sedentary behaviour were higher, and leisure-time activity and SF-36 Mental Component Score for health-related quality of life were lower in the <65 years group. By assessing differences in social demographic factors and discouraging sedentary behaviour, sitting time in overseas-dwelling Japanese residents may be reduced, and effective strategies to improve health-related quality of life can be developed to combat such behaviour.