Exercise-Associated Self-Efficacy and Behavioral Changes and Their Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life of Middle-Aged Women of Klang Valley, Malaysia

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to elucidate the impacts of self-efficacy and behavioral changes on exercise that may affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of middle-aged Malaysian women. Methods:A questionnaire-based data collection was performed from October 2013 to March 2014 in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. SPSS (v. 21.0) was used to analyze the data after recording body mass index, general health, physical health status, self-efficacy and self-awareness associated to HRQoL. Correlation between the parameters was calculated using Pearson's correlation coefficients, and the reliability test was conducted using Cronbach's alpha (α). Results are mentioned as significant when P values are found to be <0.05. Results:Findings of the study indicated, though women of Klang Valley suffer from few health problems, they prefer exercise to maintain their HRQoL. It has been observed that self-efficacy and behavioral changes for exercise related quality of life are affected by several factors, such as education, monthly income, marital status, and even ethnicity. Conclusions:This study portrays that women of Klang Valley, Malaysia, are inflicted with quite a good self-efficacy to exercise, which impacts their HRQoL.