The Impact of Community Settlement on Leisure Time Use and Body Composition in Determining Physical Lifestyles among Women

Authors: Mawarni Mohamed, Sharifah Shahira A. Hamid

Abstract:

Leisure time is an important component to offset the sedentary lifestyle of the people. Women tend to benefit from leisure activities not only to reduce stress but also to provide opportunities for well-being and self-satisfaction. This study was conducted to investigate body composition and leisure time use among women in Selangor from the influences of community settlement. A total of 419 women aged 18-65 years were selected to participate in this study. Descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA were used to analyze the level of physical activity and the relationship between leisure-time use and body composition were made to analyze the physical lifestyles. The results showed that women with normal body composition seem to be involved in more passive activities than women with less weight gain and obesity. Thus, the study recommended that the government and other health and recreational agencies should develop more places and activities suitable for leisure preference for women in their community settlement so they become more interested to engage in more active recreational and physical activities.

Keywords: Body composition, community settlement, leisure time, lifestyles.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1129131

References:

[1] Mohd Zaid, B. M. G., & Wilson, N. C. (2009). Physical Activity Levels of Staff at the National Sports Institute of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
[2] Tan, Z. Y., & Yim, H. S. (2010). Weight Status, Body Image perception and Physical Activity of Malay Housewives in Kampung Chengkau Ulu, Negeri Sembilan. International Journal for the Advancement of Science & Arts, 1(1), 11.
[3] Guthold, R., Ono, T., Strong, K. L., Chatterji, S., & Morabia, A. (2008). Worldwide variability in physical inactivity: a 51-country survey. American journal of preventive medicine, 34(6), 486-494.
[4] Institute for Public Health. Ministry of Health Malaysia; Putrajaya: 2011. National Health and Morbidity Survey 2011 (NHMS 2011).
[5] Lin, T. C., & Pao, T. P. (2011). Leisure activities’ selection and motivation.International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 1(3), 308-320.
[6] Du, H., Bennett, D., Li, L., Whitlock, G., Guo, Y., Collins, R., & Chen, X. (2013). Physical activity and sedentary leisure time and their associations with BMI, waist circumference, and percentage body fat in 0.5 million adults: the China Kadoorie Biobank study. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 97(3), 487-496.
[7] Segar, M., Spruijt-Metz, D., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2006). Go Figure? Body-Shape Motives are Associated with Decreased Physical Activity Participation among Midlife Women. Sex Roles, 54(3-4), 3-4.
[8] Kamarudin, K., & Omar-Fauzee, M. S. (2007). Attitudes toward physical activities among college students. Pakistan journal of psychological research, 22(1/2), 43.
[9] H Minhat & R Amin (2012). Social Support and Leisure Participation of Elderly in Malaysia. The Internet Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology. 7(1).
[10] Aman, M., Fauzee, M., & Mohamed, M. (2007). The Understanding of Meaning and Cultural Significance of Leisure, Recreation and Sport in Malaysia towards Capitalizing Human Resources. Journal of Global Business Management, 3(2), 129-135.
[11] Gordon, W. R., & Catalbiano, M. L. (1996). Urban and rural differences in adolescent self-esteem, leisure boredom, and sensation seeking as predictors of leisure time usage and satisfaction. Adolescence, 31, 883- 901.
[12] Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2000 Population and Housing Census. https://www.statistics.gov.my/index.php Accessed on 04/01/ 2017.
[13] Wilkinson, R. G. (2000). Mind the Gap. Hierarchies, Health and Evolution. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson.
[14] National Coordinating Committee on Food and Nutrition. Malaysian dietary guidelines. Putrajaya: Ministry of Health Malaysia, 2010.
[15] Guthold, R., et al., 2008. Worldwide variability in physical inactivity a 51-country survey. Am. J. Prev. Med. 34, 486–494. Hallal, P.C., et al., 2010.
[16] Marentič-Požarnik, Barica. 2000. Psihologija učenja in pouka (Psychology of learning and teaching) Ljubljana.
[17] Ebersole, Philip & Peter Hess (1995). Toward Healthy Aging. St. Louis: The C. V. Mosby Co. Fitzpatrick, Tanya. 2009.