Patterns and Associated Factors of Physical Activity among Adolescents in Nigeria

February Patterns and Associated Factors of Physical Activity among Adolescents in Nigeria Adewale L. Oyeyemi 0 1 Cornelius M. Ishaku 0 1 Jameela Oyekola 0 1 Hajara D. Wakawa 0 1 Aliyu Lawan 0 1 Safira Yakubu 0 1 Adetoyeje Y. Oyeyemi 0 1 0 1 Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri , Maiduguri, Nigeria, 2 Physical Activity , Sport and Recreation Research Focus Area, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University , Potchefstroom , South Africa , 3 Industrial Clinic, Nigerian National Petroleum Commission Kaduna Medical Area, Kaduna, Nigeria, 4 Department of Physiotherapy, Federal Medical Center , Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State , Nigeria 1 Editor: Herbert Yu, University of Hawaii Cancer Center , UNITED STATES 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. 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. - OPEN ACCESS Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files. Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Methods 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. Moderateintensity 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 leisuretime 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), moderateintensity 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. Introduction Sufficient physical activity is associated with substantial health benefits in young people that can track into adulthood [ 1–4 ]. Yet, an astounding majority of adolescents in both the developed and developing countries [ 5,6 ] do not meet the health related guidelines of engaging in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to vigorous- physical activity (MVPA) daily [ 3,4 ]. In the African region, only 8% to 35% of African youth engaged in sufficient levels of physical activity for 60 minutes a day on at least 5 days per week [6]. In Nigeria, about 72% of school going adolescents reported engaging in physical activity at least once a month [ 7 ], 59% engaged at moderate levels [ 8 ], and more than 50% engaged in low levels of physical activity [ 9 ]. However, no study was found that provided estimates on the proportion of Nigerian youth meeting the health-related recommended guidelines for sufficient levels of physical activity, and there is no data on the patterns and domains of physical activity among adolescents and children in Nigeria [ 10 ]. While current health-related physical activity guidelines expect youth to be physically active in all domains of living [ 3,4 ], majority of studies in Africa have focused mainly on adolescents’ overall physical activity levels with little or no report on physical activity context [ 6–20 ]. Because adolescents can be active in differ (...truncated)