A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PEOPLE’S EXERCISE BEHAVIOR IN SONGKHLA PROVINCE

Abstract

This research was to study and compare the exercise behavior of people in Songkhla province. The research objectives were to 1) study the exercise behavior of the people in Songkhla Province and 2) compare the exercise behavior of the people in Songkhla Province. This research was quantitative research. The tools used to collect data were questionnaires. The statistics used to collect data were to analyze the exercise behavior of people in Songkhla Province by distributing frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The differences in exercise behavior of people in Songkhla Province were compared by variables using T-test, F-test, and one-way ANOVA. The sample group in the study was people in Songkhla Province. Simple random sampling technique which the researcher set the error level to be 0.05 was used, resulting in a sample of 400 people.

The results of the research showed that the exercise behavior of people, which was the highest, is choosing the type of exercise that was appropriate for the health status of the age ( = 4.05, S.D. = .941), followed by wearing clothes such as shirts, pants, and shoes that were suitable for exercise ( = 3.97, S.D. = .952), the least is regular exercise ( = 3.28, S.D. = 1.038). The factor that affects the exercise behavior of people in Songkhla Province the most is the exercise knowledge factor. Personal factors that affect exercise behavior include gender, age, education level, and body mass index. Income and occupation do not affect exercise behavior. There are 5 predictive variables that can predict exercise behavior of people in Songkhla Province: exercise knowledge factor, perceived benefits of exercise factor, location and facilities factor, perceived health status factor, and support from people around. All 5 variables can explain the exercise behavior of people, accounting for 90.5%.