Factors Affected the Physical Activity in Adolescents with Risk of Obesity in Rural Aceh

Abstract

Physical activity is any movement that requires energy expenditure by the body’s skeleton and muscles. Lack of physical activity can increase the risk of obesity which has the potential of negative impacts on the physical and psychological health of adolescents. It can also increase the incidence of non-communicable diseases in adulthood. This study was conducted to determine the factors that affected the physical activity of adolescents at risk of obesity in rural Aceh. A cross-sectional study was conducted at two senior high schools in rural Aceh. There were 134 respondents were taken by using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using a demographic data questionnaire, The Adolescents Sedentary Activity Questionnaire (ASAQ), the Social Support for Exercise Scale and the Physical Activity Questionnaire-Adolescents (PAQ-A). The analysis was carried out using Chi-Square test and multiple logistic regression test. The results showed that parental education (p=0.025; OR=7.142) was the most affected factor toward physical activity in adolescents with a risk of obesity. It is suggested that local schools to increase the involvements of adolescents at risk of obesity in school extracurricular programs and collaborate with the public health centre to provide health education for parents of adolescents about the importance of physical activity for adolescent’s health.