Home Medicine Knowledge, attitude and practice towards eating and physical activity among primary school children in Brunei: a cross-sectional study
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Knowledge, attitude and practice towards eating and physical activity among primary school children in Brunei: a cross-sectional study

  • Zaidah Rizidah Murang EMAIL logo , NAA Tuah and Lin Naing
Published/Copyright: November 30, 2017

Abstract

Background

Childhood obesity has become a global public health crisis. Many studies have been conducted to explore the knowledge, attitude and practices towards eating and physical activity amongst parents and healthcare workers. However, very little is known amongst children. It is imperative to understand these factors as they have been associated with obesity among children.

Objective

This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of Bruneian children towards eating and physical activity, in order to identify the factors that influence the development of obesity.

Methods

The study involved 353 children from four primary schools in Brunei. The data collection tool used was modified validated questionnaires with sections on demographic characteristic, knowledge about obesity, eating habits and physical activity.

Results

The majority of children (>60%) had good knowledge of obesity and intake of healthy food, but, 84.2% lacked knowledge on the required daily servings of fruits and vegetables. 68.8% purchased food and beverages from their school canteen. 93.8% were aware about the health benefits of physical activity and 70.2% spent only 1–2 h of screen time per day, however, 46.9% did not meet the recommended amount of physical activity although they reported to have performed enough. This suggested that a comprehensive education on food intake requirements and physical activity are necessary in order to better educate children.

Conclusion

Health educators and public health professionals may find our findings useful in order to plan and develop tailored interventions for children, as well as better promotion of a healthy lifestyle to children and their families.

Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank all participants for their involvement in this study and the Graduate Research Scholarship offered by Universiti Brunei Darussalam that granted the researchers to conduct the study.

References

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Received: 2017-07-12
Accepted: 2017-09-17
Published Online: 2017-11-30

©2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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