Literature reviews of studies on physical activity in Malaysia using the
TPB
Searches were made for studies using TPB on physical activity in Malaysia using
keywords such as the “theory of planned behaviour/behaviour”, “physical activity”,
“exercise” as well as Malay translation of the words. Discussion of the studies
follows.
The earliest study on a Malaysian sample using TPB to examine exercise behaviour
was carried out by Yap and Sabaruddin (2008). This cross-sectional study used the
extended model of TPB to predict intention to exercise. Data were collected using
questionnaires. The study was carried out among 217 participants recruited through
informal contacts from Klang Valley. The extended model accounted for 79% of the
explained variance with attitude and PBC as a significant predictor of intention.
Instrumental attitude (β = .461, p < .001) was found to be the strongest predictor of
intention followed by affective attitude (β
= .377, p < .001). Perceived control (β = .170, p < .01) and perceived need (β
= .163, p < .001) were found to have less effect on exercise intention.
A study to examine the relationship between the background factors of gender, age
and education level with TPB constructs among a Malaysian sample was conducted
by Othman et al. (2011). The study, which employed a cross-sectional design, was
conducted with 512 adults recruited in Klang Valley. The results showed that males
scored higher in both affective and instrumental attitude compared to females. No
significant difference between males and females for injunctive and descriptive
norms as well as perceived self-efficacy and controllability were found.
Respondents with “lower education” scored less on instrumental attitude and no
significant associations were found between education level and SN components.
Those with “lower education” again scored low in perceived control compared to
those with “higher education”. No significant relationship was found between
education and self-efficacy.
A study to explore the moderating effect of exercise habit strength and specific habit
processes within the TPB was carried out by Hashim et al. (2014). The cross-
sectional design study was carried out among children attending primary school in
Malaysia (n = 380, mean age = 10.46 years). The school children were given a set
of questionnaires before a 1-mile run test to validate the self-report data. Results
indicated that the majority of the children were moderately active with a higher
percentage of females in the low active group. The study showed a significant link
between intention and physical activity behaviour when no consideration was given
to habit strength. A moderating effect of habit strength could also be observed
between PBC and intention to exercise. SN also exerted a significant influence on
behaviour regardless of whether habit strength was weak or strong. The study also
revealed that negative affect significantly moderated the relationship between TPB
constructs. The results suggested that negative affect, such as guilt, could be used
to promote physical activity among children.
Chuan, Yusof, Soon and Abdullah (2014) conducted a study to understand the
factors that influence participation in recreational sports using TPB. They studied
101 students aged between 13 and 16 years from high schools around Kuala
Lumpur. Results showed a significant correlation between attitude and SN with
behavioural intention. SN (β = .037, p < .05) and attitude (β = .247, p < .05) were
the significant predictor of intention. However, PBC was found to have no significant
relationship with intention.
In continuation, a study to determine the factors associated with exercise among
elderly sarcopenic individuals was conducted by Ahmad et al. (2014). Sarcopenia is
a condition in which muscle mass and strength decline with the ageing process and
sarcopenic elderly individuals tend to have limited functional ability. The study
recruited 65 participants who were divided into an exercise group (n = 34) and
control group (n = 31); the mean age was 67.5 years for men and 66.5 years for
women. Using structural equation analysis, the study found that attitude (β = .60)
and PBC (β = .24) were major predictors of exercise intention among men at
baseline. Among women, SN (β = .82) was the major predictor of exercise intention.
After 12 weeks, attitude (men’s β = .68; women’s
β = .24) and SN (men’s β = .12; women’s β = .87) were the main predictor variables
for exercise intention for both men and women. The intention also significantly
predicted exercise behaviour at both baselines and after a 12-week interval.
All but one of the studies above used a cross-sectional design with respondent
numbers ranging from 65 to 512 participants. Two studies used general population
samples, two studies were conducted with students and one among the elderly
population. Studies on exercise behaviour using TPB in Malaysia are
limited and research on physical activity behaviour among the Malaysian population
is needed to better understand exercise behaviour in this cultural context.
