Influence of Recreational Facilities among Adolescents towards Leisure Time Physical Activity (LTPA)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the influence of recreational facilities towards leisure physical activities among youth. As many as 913 respondents aged between 13 to 17 years old from four districts (Seremban, Muar, Kota Star and Kuantan) in Peninsular Malaysia, were chosen through a layered cluster random sampling technique. The results show that the safety of the environment is in moderate level (busy road: M=3.51, SP=1.31; stray dog: M=3.46, SP=1.38; crime: M=3.23, SP=1.33) and it has no connection with the involvement of youths in LTPA (r=-0.01, p>0.05). It is also discovered that sports facilities limit them from undergoing physical activities during leisure hours. However, facilities are easy to be used (75%) by youths and this leads to a significant relationship with LTPA (r=0.10, p<0.05). The implication of this research shows that physical environment is pivotal in order to increase the level of youth involvement in overall free time physical activities. Thus, it is suggested that these physical activities can only take more of the teenagers" time if they are carried out in environments which are creative, comfortable, safe and user-friendly.

Pedometer-determined physical activity among primary schoolchildren in Kuala Lumpur

“…Similarly, a study conducted in secondary schools in Peninsular Malaysia also reported that older adolescents (15-17 years) are more inactive compared with younger adolescents (13-14 years). 41 The decrease in activity could also be due to more indoor sedentary activities, such as computer games and watching television, which children prefer as they grow older. 42 Safety issues are also one of the major concerns resulting in parents not allowing their kids to play outdoors.…”

The longitudinal relationship between dietary intake, physical activity and muscle strength among adolescents

“…This could be due to numerous reasons (i) an increase in formal responsibilities (i.e. at school) and a shift in individual preferences related to leisure time activities may cause reduced participation in physical activity in adolescence (67) , (ii) it has been noted that technology usage is associated with a shift in physical activity in several studies globally (68) , (iii) physical activity self-efficacy (69) and peer influence (70) may affect physical activity, (iv) adolescents who are overweight or obese are more likely to be physically inactive (71,72) and (iv) these participants in this study were predominantly from the rural area who may have poor accessibility to recreational park and sports facilities (73,74) . Furthermore, the available recreational park and sports facilities in rural areas may not be adequately equipped with exercise equipment especially for females (75) .…”

Community Participation Strategies in Planning for Urban Parks

“…They also added that nature can teach children to be resilient so that children who are exposed to nature could cope with adversity better that those who did not. Another study among youths aged 13-17 years old also concluded that the "physical environment is pivotal in order to increase the level of youth involvement...in physical activities" (Abdul Latif et al 2011). In addition, the American National Recreation and Park Association (2010) highlighted that tree-dense parks are able to help reduce air temperature, improve the local air quality and help improve the overall environment.…”