Suchergebnisse

Purpose. Evidence on environmental correlates of physical activity (PA) conducted in Western developed countries may not be generalizable to Africa. This study examined the associations between perception of the neighborhood environment and PA and walking in African young adults. Design. Cross-sectional analysis of self-reported survey. Setting. University of Ibadan, in the capital city of Oyo State, Nigeria. Subjects. A representative sample of undergraduates of a Nigerian university, age 16 to 39 years and 50.7% female. Measures. Total walking activity and PA were measured with the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Sixteen perceived neighborhood environmental variables were measured using the Physical Activity Neighborhood Environment Scale (PANES), which was used to assess environmental correlates of PA that are internationally relevant. Outcomes were meeting health-related guidelines for sufficient PA and walking activity. Results. After adjustments for demographics and dormitory site, the proximity of bus/transit stop (odds ratio [OR] = 1.41), traffic as not a problem (OR = .45; unexpected direction), and not many four-way intersections (OR = .72; unexpected direction) were significantly associated with sufficient PA. Low crime rate at night (OR = 1.53), many interesting things to look at (OR = 1.90), and seeing many people active (OR = .59; unexpected direction) were significantly associated with sufficient walking. Inconsistent patterns were also observed in gender-specific analyses. Conclusion. Few neighborhood environment correlates of PA or walking reported in the international literature were replicated with African young adults. Environmental measures need to be developed that are tailored to low- and middle-income countries, such as those in Africa, so that research in understudied regions can advance. (Am J Health Promot 2011;25[5]:e10-e19.)

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is a pandemic that ravaged the world in manners that were never seen in the recent past, and one of the measures to stem the tide of this ravaging pandemic is a stay-at-home order referred to as lockdown. This study compares the physical activity status and perceived health of Nigerians before and during the lockdown. RESULTS: Social media platform users (n = 205) were surveyed using a two-part questionnaire. The first part elicited the sociodemographic characteristics of the subject. In the second part, information about their exercise and physical activity, general health, and economic palliatives as offered by the government, non-governmental organizations, and philanthropists were elicited. The frequency of exercise was significantly more (p < 0.05) during the lockdown than before the lockdown. The duration and intensity of the exercise per week were comparable. There was also a negative relationship between the body mass index, frequency, and duration of exercise before and during the lockdown. The subjects perceived their health as worse during (3.70 ± 1.05) the lockdown than before (3.95 ± 0.97) lockdown (Z = − 3.69, p = 0.00). CONCLUSION: Overall, for these cohorts of social media platform users, lockdown did not adversely affect their exercise routine. It is recommended that there should be specific recommendation on exercise as an important Instrumental Activity of Daily Living [IADL]. Therefore, while this pandemic lockdown lasts and beyond, the safety measures to follow while partaking in this IADL should be included in the public health recommendation.