Factors affecting participation decision and amount of physical activity among urban dwellers in Malaysia

•The present study examines the physical activity behaviour among urban dwellers.•Older individuals are more likely to substitute less physically demanding health inputs for physical activity than younger individuals.•Being married and household size increase the household responsibilities and thus raise the likelihood of participation and the time spent.•Well-educated individuals spend less time on physical activity than less-educated individuals because they tend to use less time-intensive health inputs.•Individuals whose medical expenses are covered by insurance are likely to participate in physical activity.

ObjectivesThe rapid rise in the prevalence of physical inactivity-related diseases has become a serious public health issue worldwide. The objective of the present study is to examine the factors affecting participation in physical activity among urban dwellers in Malaysia.Study designThis cross-sectional study measures physical activity using a rigorous regression model.MethodsData are obtained from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2011 (NHMS 2011). A lognormal hurdle model is used to analyse the participation decision and the amount decision of physical activity.ResultsThe results show that income, gender, ethnicity, marital status and employment status are significantly associated with participation decision and amount decision. However, age, insurance and self-rated health only affect participation decision, whereas family size, education and smoking only affect amount decision.ConclusionsIt can, thus, be concluded that sociodemographic, insurance, lifestyle and health factors play an important role in determining physical activity behaviour among urban dwellers. When formulating policies, special attention must be paid to these factors.