A Comparison of Factors Associated with Physical Inactivity Among East Asian College Students

• Published in: International journal of behavioral medicine Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 316 - 323
• Main Authors: Seo, Dong-Chul, Torabi, Mohammad R., Chin, Ming Kai, Huang, Sen Fang, Chen, Chee Keong, Mok, Magdalena Mo Ching, Wong, Patricia, Chia, Michael, Lee, Chung Gun, Wang, Chunyun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-09-2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Asian students; Binge Drinking; College students; Cross cultural studies; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Culture; Exercise; Family Medicine; Female; General Practice; Health behavior; Health Psychology; Hong Kong; Humans; Malaysia; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Motor Activity; Republic of Korea; Sedentary Lifestyle; Singapore; Students; Surveys and Questionnaires; Taiwan; Malaysia; Singapore; Hong Kong; Republic of Korea; Taiwan; East Asia; Physical inactivity; College health; Cross-cultural difference
• ISSN: 1070-5503; 1532-7558
• DOI: 10.1007/s12529-011-9167-4

Background
Little is known on the level of physical inactivity and its behavioral and cultural correlates among East Asian college students.
Purpose
The aim of this study is to examine and compare the level and behavioral and cultural correlates of physical inactivity among college students in Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Method
Data were collected from a representative sample of college students (
N
 = 12,137) in five East Asian economies during the 2008–2009 academic year. The stratified random sampling (stratum: geographic region) was used to select participating institutions. The overall response rate was 77%.
Results
The percentage of physically inactive students was 7.2% for Singapore, 8.0% for Malaysia, 13.5% for Taiwan, 16.8% for Hong Kong, and 28.5% for South Korea. When gender, age, and body mass index were controlled, fruit and vegetable consumptions were significant correlates for physical inactivity across all the five economies. In Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan, those who engaged in binge drinking at least once during the past 2 weeks were less likely to be physically inactive than those who did not. Religion and military experience did not independently predict physical inactivity in any of the five economies.
Conclusion
Physical inactivity varies greatly across different economies in East Asia that are usually grouped together and considered a single homogeneous entity by some researchers. However, in terms of correlates of physical inactivity, findings of the current study indicate that the transversal value of physical activity might be transformed into a universal.