Volume 20 No. 1

Practicing healthy lifestyles and behaviors, such as physical exercise, proper dietary with calcium and vitamin D consumption have been demonstrated to be highly connected with a reduced risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is characterized by poor bone density which might increase risk of fractures. Osteoporosis not only affected the elderly but also young people. This study aimed to determine the relationship between osteoporosis knowledge, perception and calcium intake among university students. A total of 202 students from Universiti Teknologi MARA Shah Alam participated in this cross-sectional survey. A self-administered online questionnaire was used as an instrument which consisted of the demographic, Osteoporosis Knowledge Tools (OKT), Osteoporosis Health Beliefs Scale (OHBS), and calcium intake questions. Results showed 91.6% of participants had a satisfactory level of osteoporosis knowledge, and 73.8% of participants had a moderate perception of osteoporosis. Only 12.9% of participants had enough daily calcium intake. The results also demonstrated that there was no relationship between the total knowledge score and perception of osteoporosis (r=.037, p=0.598), and between the total knowledge score and total calcium intake (r=.117, p=0.099). While the perception of osteoporosis was correlated positively with calcium intake (r=.193, p=0.006). These present findings may explain that the participants may have a good knowledge and beliefs toward osteoporosis but did not translate into good dietary habits in terms of daily calcium intake as part of healthy lifestyle practices and osteoporosis preventive measures.   The abstract should be a cohesive paragraph encapsulating the central theme of the research. This section of the paper or manuscript provides a concise overview of the contextual background that motivated the study's investigation, including the identification of the issue or problem, the study's objectives, methodology, findings, and conclusions, all within a word limit of 250-300 words. The text should be formatted in Times New Roman, 10-point font, with justified alignment.

The coach-athlete relationship (CAR) is essential for athlete growth in sports performance. The process of leading and influencing athletes’ confidence involves the participation of coaches. The direction, guidance, and planning of team sports training helped develop trust between coaches and athletes. Therefore, it is the coach's duty to see that the relationship that has been built helps the athlete feel mentally confident and eager for their best performance. Trust and confidence were examined in this study to better understand the connections between coaches and athletes (the three C's). The most recent online study was conducted with voluntarily participating university athletes who had experience playing high-performance sports. A total of 152 athletes from  five team sports, male (n=77) and female (n = 75) from Netball (n = 18), Football (n = 20), Futsal (n = 38), Frisbee (n = 38), and Volleyball (n = 38) completed questionnaire pack assessing the study variables. The Coach-Athlete Relationship 3C’s (CART-Q), Trust, and Confidence were used as the instrument questionnaire for this study. The findings showed substantial correlations between the trust and CAR variables. Significant relationships exist between trust and confidence as well as between confidence and commitment. The t-test analysis revealed that genders excluded for "complementarity" had significantly different perceptions of CAR. Trust and Confidence did not differ significantly between genders. In conclusion, CAR is critical for maximizing competent coaches' ability to energize athletes and foster a sense of confidence and trust.

The concept of service quality embodies a service provider's adeptness in efficiently gratifying customers, thereby enhancing business performance. In contrast, motivation is an internal impetus stemming from needs, desires, or goals, propelling individuals towards desired objectives. This research aims to delve into the interconnection and repercussions of distinct service quality facets on the motivational drive of individuals utilizing sports facilities especially among university students. A total of 453 surveys were meticulously completed as part of this inquiry, utilizing item constructs derived from Parasuraman (1988) and Kodric et al. (2013). The findings underscore a noteworthy and positively moderate correlation between the components of service quality and the motivation level of users in their sports facility engagement (r=.793**, p<0.001). This study offers a fresh vantage point, shedding light on the singular impact of service quality on sports facility utilization.

Musculoskeletal pain is a common subject of numerous studies worldwide, encompassing various populations, including university students. However, the extent of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) among university students in Malaysia remains understudied. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to determine the pattern of musculoskeletal pain among university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among university students using an online survey. The participants were university students who volunteered and completed a structured questionnaire on MSP in the past 7 days and 12 months, as well as questionnaires on postural awareness using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and the Postural Awareness Scale Questionnaire (PAS). A total of 110 public university students, with an average age of 22.38 (1.27) years and a BMI of 23.32 (4.45) kg/cm2, participated in the study, with 43.60% being male and 56.40% female. The total PAS score was 49.46 (8.91). The prevalence of body pain was highest in the lower back and shoulders, in both the 12 months and the last 7 days. Female students reported more cases of musculoskeletal pain compared to male students, and the pattern of pain differed between genders. The PAS score showed a significant correlation with neck (r = 0.24, p = 0.01), upper back (r = 0.21, p = 0.02) (12 months), and ankle/feet (r = 0.10, p = 0.04) (last 7 days) pain. The present study indicated a weak correlation between PAS and the prevalence of MSP. Further large-scale studies are needed to investigate other contributing risk factors of MSP among university students.

Differences in cognitive ability and brain anatomy have been observed between genders, attributed to a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors. It is important to note that these variations do not imply any overall superiority of one gender over the other. Previous research has explored inhibition capacities and gender-specific differences in risky decision-making. The central question remains: do men or women excel in specific cognitive activities? This study aimed to compare the cognitive function between males and females among university students. A convenience sample of 42 university students (21 female, 21 male) voluntarily participated in this study. A Stop Signal Task was used to assess the cognitive performance of the participants. The stop-signal paradigm explored motor inhibition in a laboratory setting using a computerized test. Visual cues were used in the task.  The computerized test used E-Prime 3.0 software and all the data was merged using E-Merge 3 and E-Data Aid 3. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 was performed independent sample t-test to analyze all the data. Results showed that there are no significant differences in cognitive function between both genders. Regardless of the mean differences for reaction time and accuracy, the p-value was greater than 0.05 and proved that there are no significant cognitive function differences. Uncertainty still exists regarding the correlates of the cognitive differences between the genders. The limitations arising from the convenience sample size may restrict the generalizability of the findings to the broader population of university students. Future studies might focus on other populations particularly gender differences. Specifically, enhancing the Stop Signal Task to more closely replicate real-world human activities related to inhibitory control could be beneficial. In conclusion, this study has yielded important findings of inhibition ability between female and male of university students.

University students experience stress at different stages of the semester caused by various stressors. The aim of this study is to compare the perceived stress at the beginning, middle and end of the semester and to compare the stress factor at the beginning, middle and end of the semester. A total of 252 participants (begin semester), 169 participants (middle semester) and 267 participants (end semester) from Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation, Universiti Teknologi MARA Perlis Branch were recruited for this study. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Stress Factor Questionnaire were used to measure perceived stress and stress factors. The results suggest that students experience stress, but at a moderate level, beginning semester, middle semester, and end semester. There is a statistically non-significant difference between the perceived level at the beginning, middle and end of the semester as determined by one-way ANOVA (F (2, 685) =.002, p =.998). The majority of students reported that they do not get enough sleep, have financial problems and the course load as stress factors. These findings proved that stress is a constant factor for students throughout the semester and that interventions to manage these stressors may be beneficial to student well-being. Future research can explore the effectiveness of stress reduction interventions and their implementation to promote student mental health.

People who have overweight and obese are at increased risk for several serious diseases and health complications. Evidence suggests that exercise training improves overweight and obesity risk factors. However, it is unclear whether health benefits are limited to aerobic or resistance training or whether a combination is more effective in improving the overweight and obese. This study aimed to investigate the effects of combined aerobic and resistance training on body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) among overweight adults. This study used the true experimental design with the randomized pretest-posttest control group design. A total of 17 overweight participants took part in this study and were randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups. The experimental group performed eight weeks of aerobic and resistance combination training programs that consisted of 15-minute aerobic and 15-minute resistance exercises for each training session. The BMI and WHR data were obtained before and after the eight weeks of the training program. The paired t-test was used to analyse the pre and post-test data within-group. The combined exercise training significantly decreased the BMI in the experimental group (p = 0.001). However, there was no difference in the BMI in the control group. There was no significant improvement in the WHR for the experimental and control groups. The combined exercise training gave more benefits for weight loss. Therefore, programs designed to reduce overweight or obesity rates should encourage the practice of combined exercise training. In this study, eight weeks of combined exercise training was effective in reducing BMI but not in WHR among overweight adults.

This study investigates the disparities in perceived organizational commitment among sports graduates employed in Malaysia’s public and private sectors. The problem of turnover is a widespread global phenomenon resulting from employee dissatisfaction with the organization and lack of commitment. The issue of employee commitment in both public and private sector organizations is frequently discussed and deliberated upon. Thus, this study investigates the disparities in perceived organizational commitment among sports graduates employed in Malaysia’s public and private sectors. 370 sports graduates participated in the survey. The data was collected through the administered questionnaire consisting of 22 items divided into three domains: affective, continuance, and normative commitment. Statistical analysis was performed using an independent sample t-test. The findings demonstrate a significant difference in affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment based on working sector as the p-value <0.05. Sports graduates in the public sector demonstrated higher levels of commitment across all domains compared to their private sector counterparts. The implications of this study are beneficial for both public and private sectors as they gain a comprehensive understanding of employees' organizational commitment. Future research is expected to investigate other control variables, such as working experience. A longitudinal study also may be applicable in ensuring a comprehensive perception of employees.

Precision athletes require good upper limbs strength to perform well on their respective sports regardless of their body shape but most of them neglect the importance of having a good handgrip strength. The objective of this study was to investigate the differences between anthropometric measurement, body composition and hand grip strength among National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM) precision athletes. The NDUM’s precision athletes were divided into three types of precision sports which were archery, shooting and lawn bowl. Forty-two active NDUM’s precision athletes aged 19.6±1.06 years (archery); 20.5±1.43 years (shooting); 20.0±1.62 (lawn bowl) were participated in this study. All the athletes were evaluated for anthropometric parameters (height, weight, BMI) using standard procedures. Body composition (body fat percentage (%), muscle mass (kg), bone mass (kg), total body water (%), visceral fat level (%) was assessed using bioelectrical impedance analyser (BIA) while for handgrip strength test were using handgrip dynamometer (KYTO, EH101, KYTO Fitness Technology, China) with standard procedures. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between NDUM’s precision athlete in term anthropometric parameters, body composition and hand grip strength. However, visceral fat showed a significant different (p≤0.05) between archers and shooters. In conclusion, this study may conclude that all the NDUM’s precision athlete have a similar anthropometric characteristic, body fat percentage (%), muscle mass (kg), bone mass (kg), total body water (%) and hand grip strength except the visceral fat level.

Exercise, as a non-pharmacological strategy, has demonstrated positive effects in managing cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity among obese individuals. However, the comparative effectiveness of Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) remains inconclusive. This study aimed to identify the most efficient exercise intensity for improving cardiorespiratory fitness and reducing body fat percentage in obese individuals. This review only include subjects had a mean BMI of ≥30 kg/m2, percentage body fat >30kg,age between 18 and 60 years old and only consist intervention of exercises alone without caloric restriction. The study employed HIIT intervention at 85% Heart Rate Reserves (HRR) and MICT at 60% HRRA systematic search of electronic databases was conducted from 1970 to October 2022, yielding twenty eligible studies. The PRISMA flowchart guided study selection, meanwhile the quality of included studies was assessed using TESTEX criteria. The results of study indicated no significant difference between HIIT and MICT in improving cardiorespiratory fitness (WMD = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.53; P = 0.04; I²: 25%) or percentage body fat (WMD: 0.23; 95% CI: -0.53 to 0.07; P = 0.13; I²: 67%) among obese adults. Despite small changes, both exercise modalities demonstrated improvements. Therefore, health practitioners are encouraged to prescribe exercises tailored to individual preferences, as HIIT and MICT provide equivalent effects. This study contributes to the understanding of exercise interventions for managing obesity-related health outcomes.