Sedentary Behaviour Among Male Adolescents in Sagamu, Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

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.