Peer-reviewed article
Socioeconomic disparities in physical activity, eating behaviour and body mass index among Malaysian primary school children: Implications for child well-being and social development
Norlaila Azura Kosni, Siti Noor Mawar Abdul Rahman, Mohamed Syafik Mohamed Salleh, Wan Mohd Norsyam, Nurul Diyana Sanuddin ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how family income affects physical activity, eating behaviour, and body weight among 91 Malaysian primary school children aged 8–11 years. Children from different socioeconomic backgrounds showed significant differences in how active they were, what they ate, and their body mass index. The findings suggest that family wealth influences children's access to opportunities for healthy lifestyles, and that interventions need to involve families, schools, and communities to ensure fair opportunities for all children.
Key points
- Significant differences in physical activity levels were found across socioeconomic groups (p = .044)
- Eating behaviour differed significantly by socioeconomic status (p = .006)
- Body mass index showed significant variation across socioeconomic categories (p = .015)
- Most children demonstrated moderate-to-high levels of physical activity overall
- Family socioeconomic circumstances are associated with children's health-related behaviours and weight status
Limitations
This is a small cross-sectional study of 91 children from one location in Malaysia, so the findings may not represent all Malaysian children or other contexts. The design cannot determine whether socioeconomic status causes differences in health behaviours or whether other factors explain the relationships observed.
Abstract
Socioeconomic disparities can influence children's opportunities to engage in healthy lifestyles through differences in family resources, living environments, access to recreational opportunities, and food related practices. Understanding these disparities is important for promoting equitable child health and sustainable social development. This study examined differences in physical activity, eating behaviour, and body mass index (BMI) among Malaysian primary school children according to family socioeconomic status (SES). A cross-sectional design was employed involving 91 primary school children aged 8–11 years from Jengka, Pahang, Malaysia. Physical activity was assessed using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C), while eating behaviour was evaluated using the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ). Anthropometric measurements were obtained to determine BMI. Participants were categorised according to family socioeconomic groups, namely B40, M40, and T20. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to examine differences in the study outcomes across socioeconomic groups. The findings demonstrated significant differences in physical activity (p = .044), eating behaviour (p = .006), and BMI (p = .015) across socioeconomic categories. Most participants demonstrated moderate-to-high levels of physical activity, although variations were observed between socioeconomic groups. These findings indicate that family socioeconomic circumstances are associated with differences in children's health-related behaviours and weight status. Addressing such disparities requires context-sensitive interventions involving families, schools, and communities to ensure that children from different socioeconomic backgrounds have equitable opportunities to adopt healthy lifestyles.