Comparing physical activity of Malaysian Malay men before, during, and after Ramadan

Abstract

Ramadan is the holy month for the Muslims. Throughout this month, the devotees not only restrain themselves from food, drink, and entertainment, but they also spend most their time praying and doing good deeds to gain their spiritual solace. Hence, many people believe that
during this time of the year, most Muslims will live an inactive and sedentary lifestyle. However, no empirical data exist to substantiate this assumption among Malay Muslims. Study showed that minimum of 10,000 steps per day is required to achieve an active lifestyle status. The active lifestyle status is recommended because it links positively with individual’s health benefits. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate whether there is any difference in physical activity level among University Putra Malaysia (UPM) Malay Muslim men before, during, and after the month of Ramadan, and to analyse factors restricting their involvements in
physical activity. Fifty-three UPM Malay Muslim male staff participated in the research. The Yamex-Digi walker CW700 pedometer was used to measure the physical activity level of the staff for four consecutive days. Results showed that there was a significant difference in physical activity level of the UPM Malay Muslim men before, during, and after the month of Ramadan. The reported F value was F(2, 51)=3.05 p<.056. The mean steps reported for before, during, and after Ramadan were  8375.38±2478.36, 7529.89±2483.11, and 8119.12±4033.16, respectively.
The main factors restricting their involvements in physical activity were lacked of self motivation/laziness (94.3%) and friends’  support/companions (5.7%).

Key words: Physical activity, Malay men, sport involvement, pedometer, Ramadan.