Adolescent’s Participation in Physical Activity for Health Promotion in Contemporary Nigerian Society

Abstract

Adolescence health lifestyle is an important health priority to the national agenda development. In this regard, the important favourable effects of physical activity in weight control becomes extensively needed in this period for health promotion in contemporary Nigerian society. This study was designed to determine  adolescent’s participation in physical activity for health promotion in contemporary Nigerian society. The population was 500 adolescents registered in youth social gathering in Awka metropolis. A quantitative research design was adopted to elicit information from the volunteered adolescents on social and environmental barriers of adolescent’s participation in physical activity for health promotion. The participants comprised 90 adolescents with purposive simple random sampling technique (males = 54 and females = 36). A structured questionnaire titled “Questionnaire on adolescent’s participation in physical activity for health promotion” as instrument for data collection, validity and reliability of instruments were conceptualized. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer all the research questions. The study found out that adolescent’s physical activity participation is strongly affected by social factor, male ( x= 2.66) and female ( x= 3.00). Environmental barrier also affects adolescent’s physical activity participation. Among the suggested strategies to improve adolescent’s participation in physical activity for health promotion are: knowledge promotion, environmental facility enhancement, family and community attention to these adolescents, to mention but few. There should be need for government and NGOs to provide progressive physical activities for the adolescent’s health programs and not just competitive sports that happen occasionally in schools.