ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) facilities include equipment and infrastructures which promote participation in PA. Physical activity before, during and after school, quality physical education involving pupils, staff and members of the community make up HEPA programmes in the school environment. The aim of this study was to assess health enhancing physical activity facilities and programmes in primary schools in Oredo Local Government Area, Benin City.
METHODS: 42 public and private primary schools in Oredo LGA, Benin City, were selected using convenience sampling technique. Head Teachers or their representatives were interviewed using the Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Programmes Questionnaire to get information on the HEPA programmes in the schools and the Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Checklist was used to audit the available HEPA facilities. Data was analysed using frequency and percentages, chi-square was used to find the association between public and private schools.
RESULTS: Health enhancing physical activity facilities including open spaces (88.1%) walkways/corridors (71.4%), stairs (71.4%) and fields (54.8%) were seen in most schools while trampoline (0%) hockey sticks and posts (4.8%), see-saw (7.1%) and volleyball (4.8%) were rarely seen. There was no significant difference in health-enhancing physical activity programmes (X2= 220; ρ= 1.000) and facilities (X2= 170; ρ= 0.154) among public and private schools.
CONCLUSION: Primary schools in Oredo Local Government Benin City, take part in some form of health-enhancing physical activity, but generally lack health-enhancing physical activity facilities, which could hinder participation in health-enhancing physical activity.
KEYWORDS: Health-enhancing physical activity, primary schools, Oredo Local Government Area.
