The Sports Participation Trend among Malaysians by Gender, Ethnic and Age Group

Abstract

The national Health Morbidity survey by the Malaysian Health Ministry since 2006 showed the percentage of physically inactive Malaysians is still high. Sedentary lifestyles among Malaysians can contribute to an increase in the prevalence of obesity and have been identified as a key risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this survey is to identify the trend of participation in physical activity by gender, ethnic and age group from the year 2018 until 2020. The current choice of activities among Malaysians is also considered in this study. The proportionate random stratified sampling method employed to select the Malaysian population aged 13 years and above with an inclusion criteria “participated at least once a month with minimum duration of 60 minutes in any kind of sports, physical exercise and recreational activities”. The Malaysian Sports Culture Index (MSCI’2018), an instrument which was designed by Institute for Youth Research Malaysia (IYRES), used to collect the data. Descriptive analysis showed there were significant differences among gender for all the three years. Male populations’ activeness higher than females. The ethnic factor also influences the participation in physical activities especially during Movement Control Order due to pandemic COVID-19. Participation by age group also showed significant differences from 2018 to 2020. The One way ANOVA test showed  significant differences between age group and ethnic for all the three years with p=0.000. Further analysis on choice of activities revealed that activities such as Badminton, Futsal, Jogging, Walking, Cycling and Hiking have become the preference of the Malaysian Population since the year 2018 until now. As a conclusion, physically active and the prevention measures of sedentary lifestyle are major pillars in reducing the risk of morbidity and mortality among our nations. Creating awareness and making sports a culture in daily life will be a better solution for the current health phenomenon.