Are senior high school students in Ghana meeting WHO’s recommended level of physical activity? Evidence from the 2012 Global School-based Student Health Survey Data

Seidu, Abdul‐Aziz; Agbaglo, Ebenezer; Darteh, Eugene Kofuor Maafo; Ameyaw, Edward Kwabena; Budu, Eugene; Iddrisu, Hawa

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229012

Cited by 10 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Of note, the physical activity engagement among high school students might be lower than that of lower grade students due to their heavier educational burden. Previous studies consistently showed that student's physical inactivity might increase with age and education levels 22,23 . Physical activity may appeal more to boys rather than girls 22 , exacerbating the sex disparity of self-reported decline in physical activity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Physical activity, screen exposure and sleep among students during the pandemic of COVID-19

Guo

Liao

Cai

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

125

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This study aimed to determine the levels of health-related behaviours (physical activity, screen exposure and sleep status) among Chinese students from primary, secondary and high schools during the pandemic of COVID-19, as well as their changes compared with their status before the pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey of 10,933 students was conducted among 10 schools in Guangzhou, China, between 8th and 15th March, 2020. After getting the informed consent from student’s caregivers, an online questionnaire was designed and used to obtain time spending on health-related behaviours during the pandemic of COVID-19, as well as the changes compared with 3 months before the pandemic, which was completed by students themselves or their caregivers. Students were stratified by regions (urban, suburban, exurban), gender (boys and girls), and grades (lower grades of primary school, higher grades of primary schools, secondary schools and high schools). Data were expressed as number and percentages and Chi-square test was used to analyse difference between groups. Overall, the response rate of questionnaire was 95.3% (10,416/10,933). The median age of included students was 13.0 (10.0, 16.0) years and 50.1% (n = 5,219) were boys. 41.4%, 53.6% and 53.7% of total students reported less than 15 min per day in light, moderate and vigorous activities and 58.7% (n = 6,113) reported decreased participation in physical activity compared with the time before pandemic. Over 5 h of screen time spending on online study was reported by 44.6% (n = 4,649) of respondents, particular among high school students (81.0%). 76.9% of students reported increased screen time compared with the time before pandemic. Inadequate sleep was identified among 38.5% of students and the proportion was highest in high school students (56.9%). Our study indicated that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the school closure exerted tremendous negative effects on school-aged children’s health habits, including less physical activity, longer screen exposure and irregular sleeping pattern.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Physical activity, screen exposure and sleep among students during the pandemic of COVID-19

Guo

Liao

Cai

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

125

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…This implies the likelihood of worsening of the current urban development challenges unless conscious efforts are made to address them. Again, evidence suggests a growing incidence of sedentary lifestyles, less physical activity, and the increasing health challenges associated with obesity among children and the youth in Ghana ( Aryeetey, 2011 ; Ocansey et al, 2014 ; Seidu et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neighbourhood, built environment and children’s outdoor play spaces in urban Ghana: Review of policies and challenges

Adjei-Boadi

Agyei‐Mensah

Adamkiewicz

et al. 2022

Landscape and Urban Planning

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Although a great deal of research work has been done by social scientists on walkability and playability, the focus to a large extent has been on the global north. Research work on the urban built environment and children’s play has not engaged Africa in general and Ghana in particular. More importantly, there is limited evidence of policies in terms of community-based practices and governmental policies and programmes for the promotion of play. The limited effort in promoting physical activities have to a large extent focused on walkability, yet evidence to date indicates that walking only constitutes a small proportion of the physical activities of children. This is against the backdrop of growing urbanization and the increasing reported incidence of sedentary lifestyles, less physical activity and obesity among children and the youth. Our main objective in this paper is to contribute to the literature on Ghana, and by extension Sub-Saharan Africa, by examining the extent to which playability features in city and national policies and strategies in urban Ghana. We conclude that while there is dearth of public policies on children’s play, with the situation in communities compounded by weak city government capacity to plan, implement and enforce development control to protect open spaces for children’s play and recreational purposes. The paper recommends a change in policy and practice on creating spaces in urban built-environments for children’s play in urban Ghana.

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“…In addition, urbanization, coupled with an influx in motorized transportation use in densely populated cities ( 24 ) may reduce physical activity participation ( 25 ). Available data shows that 75% of adolescents aged 13–18 years in Ghana are physically inactive ( 26 ). Sedentary lifestyles such as watching television, using the computer, the internet, and social media are also increasing among adolescents in Ghana ( 27 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lifestyle habits, macronutrient intake, and obesity prevalence among adolescents in rural-periurban community senior high schools in the Ho municipality of Ghana

et al. 2022

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BackgroundAdolescence is a critical stage in the life cycle that presents a window of opportunity for the formation of lifetime habits or an aversion to childhood malnutrition effects. This study assessed the lifestyle habits, macronutrient intakes, and obesity prevalence among adolescents in some selected Senior High Schools in rural communities in Ho Municipality.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 272 adolescents aged 13–19 years and attending senior high schools in the Ho Municipality of Ghana. Data on sociodemographic, physical activity levels, dietary habits, and anthropometrics were obtained. A body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were determined, while a repeated 24-h dietary recall was used to collect the dietary intakes of the participants.ResultsThe majority of the adolescents did not meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for calories (94.5%), dietary protein (68.8%), and fibre (91.5%). Adolescent boys consumed more calories (1,969.7 ± 579.9 Kcal) on average than adolescent girls (1,658.0 ± 458.7 Kcal) (p = 0.001). Overweight and obesity prevalence were 15.8 and 8.5%, respectively. About 90.4% of the adolescents did not meet the WHO recommended 150 min per week of physical exercise. On sedentary, 97.6% of adolescents spent half an hour to 5 h per day watching television when at home. Breakfast was the most frequently skipped meal (47.9%), and 59.6% of adolescents consumed fast foods such as pizza, burgers, and ice cream one to three times per week. Adolescent girls also had higher odds of being overweight or obese compared with adolescent boys (AOR = 2.4, p = 0.094, 95% CI = 0.9–6.4). Adolescents who did not meet the RDA for calories had lower odds of being overweight or obese compared with those who did (UOR = 0.3, p = 0.045, 95% CI = 0.1–0.9).ConclusionPoor dietary habits and intake, sedentary lifestyle, and obesity prevalence were observed among the adolescents. Being an adolescent girl was associated with obesity risk, while not meeting caloric intake showed a protective effect. Efficient and effective nutrition and lifestyle education programme should be promoted in communities to improve the dietary intake and lifestyle habits of adolescents.

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Are senior high school students in Ghana meeting WHO’s recommended level of physical activity? Evidence from the 2012 Global School-based Student Health Survey Data

Cited by 10 publications

References 49 publications

Physical activity, screen exposure and sleep among students during the pandemic of COVID-19

Physical activity, screen exposure and sleep among students during the pandemic of COVID-19

Neighbourhood, built environment and children’s outdoor play spaces in urban Ghana: Review of policies and challenges

Lifestyle habits, macronutrient intake, and obesity prevalence among adolescents in rural-periurban community senior high schools in the Ho municipality of Ghana

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