BUKU ABSTRAK - Universiti Putra Malaysia

Social Sciences
Assessment of Physical Activity of Universiti Putra Malaysia Staff using a
Pedometer
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Soh Kim Geok
Soh Kim Lam, Ruby Husain, Mohd. Sofian Omar Fauzee, Aminuddin Yuson and Ong Swee Leong
Faculty of Educational Studies, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8946 8153; kims@putra.upm.edu.my
The association between a sedentary lifestyle and susceptibility to diseases and poor physical and mental
health are well established. This research sought to assess the level of physical activity undertaken by Universiti
Putra Malaysia (UPM) staff and to ascertain the factors influencing their physical activity participation. Twohundred
and twenty staff (113 females and 107 males) volunteered to participate in the study. In order to assess
their physical activity level, the Yamex-Digi pedometer was attached to the participants daily for six consecutive
days. The pedometer indicated that the average number of steps taken were 7,177 ? 2,518 a day. They ranked
in the ‘low active’ category according to Tudor-Locke and Bassett (2004). A minimum of 10,000 steps a day,
required for an ‘active’ lifestyle is needed to confer health benefits. It was concluded that the UPM staff were
not benefiting much from their low level of physical activity. The major factor responsible for their low level of
physical activity was found to be their lack of self-motivation.
Keywords: Physical activity, university staff, sports participation, pedometer
Factor Structure and Reliability of the Elder Abuse Instrument in Older Malaysians
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tengku Aizan Hamid
Siti Farra Zillah Abdullah and Jariah Masud
Institute of Gerontology, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8947 2750; aizan@putra.upm.edu.my
Incidence of elder abuse has been assessed sparingly across the world. Standardised instruments for
determining elder abuse have not been developed (Daly and Jogerst, 2005) to measure the subject. This study
examines the factorial structure and reliability statistics of Elder Abuse Instrument which measure incidence of
elder abuse. A 16-item instrument was developed by the research team based on recent and established literature.
Each item was also selected based on societal concern of traditional culture and differing values held in Malaysia.
The instrument was positively worded with pre-determined response categories of (1) Yes, (2) No and (3) Not
applicable. It was used to measure four types of elder abuse that include financial, emotional, physical and sexual
abuse. Data derived from a cross-sectional study entitled “Perception, Awareness and Risk Factors of Elder
Abuse” in 2008. Principal Component Analysis (n = 480) was carried out, selecting a four-factor solution and
using a varimax rotation. These four factors were found to account for 25.797% of the total variance. All the items
load onto its original subscales with loading value of 0.30 or greater in each case. The subscales correspond to the
four types of abuse in this study. Results showed that overall reliability of the instrument was Cronbach’s Alpha,
0.611. Reliability statistics by type of abuse ranges from moderate to high, with the highest Cronbach’s Alpha
of 0.917 is noted for sexual abuse, followed by physical abuse (0.801), financial abuse (0.647) and emotional
abuse (0.642). The instrument is definite and reliable to assess incidence of abuse in old age, particularly in the
multiracial society such as Malaysia. However, further study is required to validate the instrument in a larger
sample size and across heterogeneous settings.
Keywords: Elder abuse instrument, population ageing, older persons, Malaysia
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