ISSN (Print): 2328-3491, ISSN (Online): 2328-3580, ISSN (CD-ROM): 2328-3629 American International Journal of Research in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics AIJRSTEM 13-102; © 2013, AIJRSTEM All Rights Reserved Page 1 AIJRSTEM is a refereed, indexed, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary and open access journal published by International Association of Scientific Innovation and Research (IASIR), USA (An Association Unifying the Sciences, Engineering, and Applied Research) Available online at http://www.iasir.net Role of perceived benefits of Mauritians in accounting for physical exercise M. Chan Sun 1 , D. Ramasawmy 2 and R. Bhoojhawon 1 1 Faculty of Science University of Mauritius Reduit MAURITIUS lan.sun@uom.ac.mu http://www.uom.ac.mu I. Introduction A. The context Mauritius which is an island situated off the eastern coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, has a multi-ethnic population of 1.3 million Mauritians of Indian (68%), Chinese (3%), African (27%), European (2%) ancestry [1]. According to the World Bank, Mauritius is now classified as an upper middle income economy, with its Gross National Income per capita at US$8,230 [2]. On the basis of the latest Human Development Index for 187 countries, Mauritius was ranked 78th globally and third in Africa [3]. In the wake of this economic growth, the country has undergone rapid industrialization over the past five decades [4]. The rapid industrialization along with the openness of the island to the external world has brought in its wake changes in lifestyles, in turn contributing to high prevalence of non-communicable disease risk factors in Mauritius [5]. Traditional ways of life in the multi-ethnic Mauritian society have shifted to western lifestyles with an increased consumption of carbohydrate-rich, high-calorie ready-made fast foods, along with high amounts of fat, sugar and salt in processed foods [6]. This nutritional transition and the increasingly sedentary behavior of Mauritians have led the country to undergo an epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases in recent decades [4]. B. The public health issue Mauritius had in 2010 the fourth highest prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus in the world [7]. This prevalence increased significantly from 12.8% in 1987 to 17.9% in 1998 [8]. The age-standardized prevalence of diabetes in the Mauritian population in 2009 was 22.3% among men and 20.2% among women [9]. In fact, Magliano et al. (2012) showed that diabetes prevalence has increased by 64% over 22 years in Mauritius, the increase being similar in men and women, greater in Mauritians of Indian and African descent but smaller in Mauritians of Chinese descent [9]. In fact, according to the Non Communicable Diseases Survey in 2009, the prevalence of diabetes in the Mauritian population aged 25-74 years was 23.6% [4]. Moreover, the prevalence of impaired glucose metabolism (otherwise known as pre-diabetes) in the adult population of the same age group was 24.2% [4]. Thus, almost 1 in 2 Mauritians has either diabetes or pre-diabetes. Moreover, the prevalence of obesity or overweight was found to be 65.6%, the rate being 62.8% for men and 68.2% for women [4]. On the other hand, the prevalence of physical exercise remains Abstract: Mauritius, which is a rapidly developing island in the Indian Ocean, has Type 2 Diabetes mellitus as public health issue. While the prevalence of diabetes is high, the prevalence of physical exercise remains low among Mauritians. This research work was designed with the following objectives: (1) To determine perceived benefits and barriers for physical exercise among a random sample of employees in a workplace setting, (2) To compare amount of physical exercise with work occupation of participants and (3) To look for association between perceived benefits and physical exercise. The study population was a random sample of employees, representative of the workforce in Mauritius. Two valid and reliable survey instruments were used: Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale. Findings of the survey revealed that perceived exercise benefits were high while participation in physical exercise was low. Findings of this study highlight the need for further studies to explore perception on health benefits of physical exercise and awareness on volume of physical exercise to achieve these health benefits. Moreover, there is a need to encourage initiatives to implement supportive workplace environment for the practice of physical exercise. Keywords: Physical Exercise, Benefits, Type 2 Diabetes mellitus, Mauritius.