Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Feb 22;11(2):e0150142.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150142. eCollection 2016.

Patterns and Associated Factors of Physical Activity among Adolescents in Nigeria

Adewale L Oyeyemi  1   2 , Cornelius M Ishaku  1 , Jameela Oyekola  3 , Hajara D Wakawa  4 , Aliyu Lawan  1 , Safira Yakubu  1 , Adetoyeje Y Oyeyemi  1
Affiliations

Patterns and Associated Factors of Physical Activity among Adolescents in Nigeria

Adewale L Oyeyemi et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Introduction: Understanding the context where adolescents' physical activity (PA) takes place could impact a more targeted approach to implement PA promotion and interventions in Africa. However, standardized data on adolescents' PA behaviour is lacking in Nigeria. We described PA patterns in the various domains (home, school, transport, leisure-time) and intensity categories (light-intensity PA, moderate- to vigorous- intensity physical activity [MVPA] and total PA), and their associations with sociodemographic factors and socioeconomic status (SES) among secondary school adolescents in Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a representative sample of 1006 secondary school adolescents (12-18 years, 50.4% girls) in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Self-reported PA was assessed with an adapted version of the Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents and Young Adults. Outcomes were weekly minutes (min/wk) of PA spent in the various domains and intensity categories. Multivariate ANOVA was used to examine associations of PA scores (domains and intensity levels) with adolescents' sociodemographic characteristics and SES, and track differences in PA scores between subgroups.

Results: The total sample reported most PA at school (1525 min/wk), the least during active transportation (210 min/wk), and only 37% engaged in 60 min of MVPA daily. Boys reported significantly more leisure-time PA (P<0.001), active transportation (P<0.001), MVPA (P = 0.023) and total PA (P = 0.003) than girls, while girls reported more school-based PA (P = 0.009), home-based PA (P<0.001) and light-intensity PA (P<0.001) than boys. Moderate-intensity PA (P = 0.024) and total PA (P = 0.049) were significantly higher in younger age group than in older group. Household car ownership was associated with less active transportation (P = 0.009), less moderate-intensity PA (P = 0.048) and with more leisure-time PA (P = 0.013). High parental SES was associated with more leisure-time PA (P = 0.002), more MVPA (P = 0.047) and less active transportation (P<0.001). Adolescents of various weight status differed significantly in their leisure-time PA (P<0.001), moderate-intensity PA (P = 0.011) and total PA (P = 0.033).

Conclusions: The patterns and levels of physical activity among adolescents in Nigeria vary according to the adolescents' age, gender, weight status and SES. These findings have important public health implications for identifying subgroups of Nigerian adolescents that should be targeted for effective physical activity promoting interventions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Proportion of time in domain and intensity levels of physical activity.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Proportion of intensity levels of activity reported in each domain of physical activity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Janssen I, Leblanc AG. Systematic review of the health benefits of physical activity and fitness in school- aged children and youth. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2010; 7:40 10.1186/1479-5868-7-40 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hallal PC, Victoria CG, Azevedo MR, Well JC. Adolescents physical activity and health: a systematic review. Sport Med. 2006; 36(12): 1019–1030. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. Global recommendations on physical activity for health. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2010. - PubMed
    1. The Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, 2008. Department of Health and Human Services. Washington DC: U.S, 2008. Available: http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/. Accessed November 10, 2015.
    1. Hallal PC, Andersen LB, Bull FC, Guthold R, Haskell W, Ekelund U, for the Lancet Physical Activity Series Working Group. Global physical activity levels: surveillance progress, pitfalls, and prospects. Lancet. 2012; 380(9838):294–305. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources