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Sedentary Behaviour Among Male Adolescents in Sagamu, Southwest Nigeria

By Odusoga, OB

Background: Sedentary behaviour (SB) is a leading risk factor for development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and associated morbidity worldwide. Several studies have reported a high prevalence of sedentary behaviour among adolescents in developing countries with a male preponderance. The Nigerian male adolescent is similarly faced with lifestyle challenges as his counterparts in other countries. Aim: This study determined the pattern, knowledge and factors associated with sedentary behaviour among male adolescents in Sagamu, Nigeria. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 330 in-school male adolescents in Sagamu, selected via multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20. Relevant descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated, with p <.05. Participation was fully voluntary and strict confidentiality was ensured. Result: The mean age of respondents was 15.9 +/- 1.4 years; 86.9% of respondents were aged 15-19years. About 94.8% of sedentary respondents had poor knowledge. Over 90% of respondents were sedentary. Screen-based behaviour (79%) contributed more to respondents' pattern of SB while using a tablet or a smart phone (23.6%) singularly contributed the largest to sedentariness. SB was associated with motorized transport (p = .038), smoking (p <=.001) and central obesity status (p = .040) but not with socio-demographic characteristics and alcohol intake. Conclusion: Knowledge of SB was poor among respondents. The prevalence of sedentary behaviour was high and associated with central obesity, smoking and motorized transport. School-based interventions including health education, should be initiated to reduce the risk of developing NCDs.