Cross-cultural comparison in physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF) provides insights of the effectiveness of a nation’s exercise promotion policies.
PURPOSE: To compare the degree of PA, PF, and obesity prevalence among adolescents in eight major metropolitan cities in Southeast Asia.
METHODS: In 2013, stratified random samples of adolescent aged 12 to 15 years from each of the eight cities (n=∼1,600 each from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Singapore and Bangkok) were recruited for PA, PF and anthropometric measurements. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for youth was used to measure PA level. PF tests included CUHK sit-and-reach, Handgrip, sit-up, and 15 meters PACER. A fitness composite score was calculated to rank the fitness level for eight cities.
RESULTS: Among a total of 12,590 eligible adolescents, boys spent longer time in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) than girls in all cities (all p< .001). Tokyo adolescents reported longest time in MVPA (median: 360.0 min per week), followed in order were Seoul (245.0), Shanghai (235.0), Singapore (210.0), Kuala Lumpur (180.0), Bangkok (165.0), Taipei (155.0) and Hong Kong (125.0), respectively (p< .001). Shanghai adolescents were the least inactive (5.8% in boys and 6.9% in girls); whereas Hong Kong adolescents were the most inactive (25.0%). For PF, adolescents in Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore and Seoul showed better performances than other 4 cities. The prevalence of obesity was highest in Taipei adolescents (14.4%) and lowest in Tokyo adolescents (4.8%) (p< .001).
CONCLUSION: Adolescents in most of the Southeast Asian cities did not achieve the WHO’s PA guideline for youth (MVPA: 60 min/day), suggesting specific exercise promotion strategies are much needed for youth in these Asian cities. Exercise promotion strategies and policies in Tokyo and Seoul are worth reference due to their highest PA & PF status.
Funding information
“This work was carried out with the aid of a research grant from the NUS Initiative to Improve Health in Asia (NIHA) coordinated by the Global Asia Institute of the National University of Singapore and supported by the Glaxo Smith Kline-Economic Development Board (Singapore) Trust Fund.”
© 2015 American College of Sports Medicine
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