Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Feb 19;16(4):603.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph16040603.

Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity in Malaysian Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Shooka Mohammadi  1 , Muhammad Yazid Jalaludin  2 , Tin Tin Su  3   4 , Maznah Dahlui  5   6 , Mohd Nahar Azmi Mohamed  7 , Hazreen Abdul Majid  8   9   10
Affiliations

Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity in Malaysian Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Shooka Mohammadi et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The increased prevalence of unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyles among Malaysian adolescents has become a public health concern. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize evidence from observational studies related to diet and physical activity (PA) among Malaysian adolescents (13⁻18 years) and to recognize the associations between determinants of diet and PA and diet and PA behaviours. A systematic search for observational studies published from August 1990 through August 2017 was conducted via PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane and Web of Science. A total of 18 studies met the inclusion criteria; these were independently extracted by two reviewers. Gender and ethnicity were the most commonly studied correlates of diet and PA; males were more physically active and they tended to have poorer diet quality and higher energy and macronutrient intakes in comparison to females; Malay adolescents had a lower diet quality and Chinese adolescents spent less time in PA compared to other ethnicities. However, the significance of these associations was often small or inconsistent. This review highlights the lack of longitudinal observational studies but summarizes the best available evidence for policymakers and public health practitioners to improve the diet and the level of PA in Malaysian adolescents.

Keywords: Malaysian adolescents; eating habits; physical activity; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA Flow Diagram of study selection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Smetanina N., Albaviciute E., Babinska V., Karinauskiene L., Albertsson-Wikland K., Petrauskiene A., Verkauskiene R. Prevalence of overweight/obesity in relation to dietary habits and lifestyle among 7–17 years old children and adolescents in Lithuania. BMC Public Health. 2015;15:1001. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-2340-y. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Leech R.M., McNaughton S.A., Timperio A. The clustering of diet, physical activity and sedentary behavior in children and adolescents: A review. Int. J. Behav. Nutr Phys. Act. 2014;11:4. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-11-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mistry S.K., Puthussery S. Risk factors of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence in South Asian countries: A systematic review of the evidence. Public Health. 2015;129:200–209. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2014.12.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pearson N., Biddle S.J. Sedentary behavior and dietary intake in children, adolescents, and adults: A systematic review. Am. J. Prev. Med. 2011;41:178–188. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2011.05.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ambrosini G.L., Emmett P.M., Northstone K., Howe L.D., Tilling K., Jebb S.A. Identification of a dietary pattern prospectively associated with increased adiposity during childhood and adolescence. Int. J. Obes. 2012;36:1299. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2012.127. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types