Date of Award

1-2-2024

Thesis Type

PhD

Document Type

Thesis

Divisions

Faculty of Medicine

Department

Department of Social and Preventive Medicine

Institution

Universiti Malaya

Abstract

The rates of physical inactivity among adolescents have been increasing yearly. Physical activity can reduce the risk of diseases, help manage weight, improve brain health, and ensure healthy growth and development. Besides these benefits, physical activity has also been linked to better academic achievement in certain studies. This study examines the relationship between physical activity and academic performance (national-based examinations) among adolescents in Malaysia. It was also designed to identify a feasible standardised physical activity programme. Methods: This is a multimethod study. The first phase is a prospective closed cohort study using data from 579 students from the Malaysian Health and Adolescents Longitudinal Research Team (MyHeART) study, which was carried out in 15 public secondary schools in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Perak in 2012, 2014 and 2016 respectively. The second phase of the study is an exploratory phenomenology study with 25 in-depth interviews among teachers from schools involved in the main MyHeART study. Results: Data for phase 1 was analysed using complex sampling analysis. Those physically active, females, those from urban areas, with household incomes of more than RM3000, had fathers with at least upper secondary education, normal fat intake and normal waist-to-height ratio fared better in the national-based examinations, in 2014. In 2016, those physically active performed better in Modern Mathematics, Chemistry and Principles of Accounting. Those with adequate calorie intake, adequate fat intake, normal waist-to-hip ratio, household income more than RM3000, those who had mothers with tertiary education and those staying in urban areas, performed better in SPM. The qualitative aspect of this study revealed that most teachers were agreeable to the idea of a standardised physical activity programme. Findings from this paper explore the recommendations for future standardised physical activity programmes. Conclusion: This study has identified factors that will enable a student to fare better in national-based examinations as well as factors for a feasible standardised physical activity programme across schools. Therefore, suitable intervention should be made accordingly based on the current findings which is to focus on promoting more physical activity, achieving adequate calorie intake, adequate fat intake and achieving a normal waist-to-hip ratio among our Malaysian adolescents. A pilot study on a standardised physical activity programme can be tailored accordingly based on recommendations yielded from this study to evaluate its feasibility before scaling it up.

Initial

khm

Additional Information

Thesis (PhD) – Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 2024.

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