Kuang Kuay Lim¹*, Noor Syaqilah Shawaluddin², Azli Baharudin Shaharudin², Nazirah Alias², Ying Ying Chan2, Nur Hidayatun Fadhilah Mohd Nor³, Hamizatul Akmal Abd Hamid², Lee Ann Tan², Mohd Azahadi Omar¹
1. Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health, Malaysia, 40170, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
2. Institute for Public Health, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health, Malaysia, 40170, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
3. Health Education Division, Ministry of Health, Malaysia, 62590 Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya, Malaysia
*Corresponding author: Lim Kuang Kuay.
CITATION: Lim, K. K., Shawaluddin, N. S., Baharudin Shaharudin, A., Alias, N., Chan, Y. Y., Mohd Nor, N. H. F., Abd Hamid, H. A., Tan, L. A., & Omar, M. A. (2026). Physical activity and sedentary behaviours among adolescents in Malaysia between 2017 and 2022. International Medical Research Journal, 12(1), 118–128. https://doi.org/10.63719/imrj.2026.12.01.010
ABSTRACT
Regular physical activity (PA) is crucial for adolescents’ physical, mental, and social development. This study aimed to determine the changes in PA and sedentary behaviour among adolescents in Malaysia between 2017 and 2022. Data were obtained from the 2017 and 2022 National Health and Morbidity Surveys, which used multistage stratified cluster sampling to select nationally representative samples of adolescents aged 13-17 years. The validated Global School-based Student Health Survey questionnaire was used to assess PA and sedentary behaviour. Physically active adolescents were defined as those who engaged in moderate-to-vigorous PA for at least 60 minutes five days a week. Adolescents were classified as having high sedentary behaviour if they spent ≥3 hours/day in sitting activities. A total of 27 497 adolescents were surveyed in 2017 and 33 523 in 2022, with response rates of 89.2% and 89.4%, respectively. The prevalence of physically active adolescents remained low, with a modest increase from 19.8% in 2017 to 21.4% in 2022. However, sedentary behaviour increased substantially, from 50.0% to 66.7%. Boys were more active than girls. On the other hand, Chinese adolescents and girls demonstrated longer durations of sedentary behaviour compared to their counterparts. PA among adolescents in Malaysia remains insufficient, while the rise in sedentary behaviour may partly reflect behavioural changes following the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Schools, families, and communities should coordinate efforts to promote active lifestyles and reduce sedentary behaviour.
KEYWORDS: physical activity, sedentary behaviour, adolescents, National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS), Malaysia
