Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) towards Physical Activity (PA) among Medical Academic Staff in Fiji: A Mixed Method Study

BACKGROUND: Regular PA is one of the most important practices that a person can do to stay healthy. Physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Workforces are facing health issues such as non-communicable diseases (NCDs) due to sedentary lifestyle.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) towards PA amongst medical academic staff at Fiji National University (FNU).

METHODS: This is a mixed methods study design conducted amongst all academic and senior management staff at the 5 schools at College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (CMNHS) at FNU in 2019. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data which was authenticated and face and content validated in a pilot study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to guide Focus Group Discussion (FGD) amongst senior managers at CMNHS. Descriptive analysis was conductedfor quantitative data while thematic analysis was done to analyze the qualitative data.

RESULTS: The knowledge on PA was seen to be at a medium level 19.2 (±2.8), while attitude was found to be of high level 32.62 (±2.86) followed by practice seen as a good practice 11.93 (±1.39) amongst academic staffs of CMNHS. Four major themes were identified from the qualitative including; types of PA available in schools, university contribution towards PA, barriers of PA in CMNHS and recommendations for PA.

CONCLUSION: CMNHS needs to strengthen the wellness approaches that increase opportunities towards promoting or engaging into PA related work. Further research is warranted to determine on effective ways to increase PA among academic staff atCMNHS.