PERCEIVED BARRIERS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG KOSPEN COMMUNITY IN PUTRAJAYA

Abstract

Background: In Federal Territory of Putrajaya, the prevalence of physical inactivity in 2015 was 32.5% compared to 2011 with 56.5%, as reported in National Health Morbidity Survey. Although various facilities have been provided in Putrajaya and was selected as a garden city concept town, the public do not use the facilities as much as they should. Only a few studies were conducted on perceived barriers of physical activity, especially in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among Komuniti Sihat Pembina Negara (KOSPEN) community in Putrajaya. A self-administered questionnaire was used in this study. Barriers was categorized into personal, physical and social environment barriers. Statistical test such as parametric test and non-parametric test were used to test the association between independent variables and perceived barriers of physical activity. Multiple Linear Regression test was used to determine the predictors. Result: Descriptive analysis showed that majority of the respondent were married (84.5%), had degree and above (59.2%), unemployed (74.9%), had household income between RM 4000 and RM 8500 (70.7%). The perception that ‘other recreational activities with family were more fun’ was the most frequently reported barrier. Low knowledge about health and been married status were shown as predictors. Conclusion: The results of this study can be used to design a health programme using the appropriate domain. For future studies, it is proposed to study predictors on each perceived barrier domain and to propagate independent variables to obtain much more information in the future