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Bello D.A.I.1, Bekoe E.A.1
1University of Ghana, Physiotherapy, Accra, Ghana
Background: Health-related component of physical fitness is a reliable measure of physical activity engagement across age groups. Students in health discipline are often presumed to be physically active as to be able to advice health care seekers in need of such service. However, such assumption is not based on concrete empirical evidence. The study thus sought to ascertain the level of physical fitness among a sampled population of students in a tertiary institution in Ghana.
Purpose: The primary goal of this project was to assess the health related component of physical fitness among the college aged population with a view to create context for alternative preventive measures for chronic diseases in young adults.
Methods: The cross-sectional study employed a simple random sampling technique to select approximately 200 students from three schools under the College of Health Sciences of the university. Four tests were performed to measure the various health-related components of physical fitness. These included the Cooper test to measure cardiovascular endurance, the sit-up test to measure abdominal strength and endurance, the floor touch test for spinal flexibility and the measurement of percentage body fat using the Omron body composition monitor. Data analysis entails cross tabulation to present correlation between floor touch test and gender, academic level and program of study whilst general linear model was used to find the correlation between the sit up test, the 12 minutes run test and % body fat with gender, academic level and program of study. Level of significance was set at p 0.05.
Results: Two hundred (200) students from three schools under the College of Health Sciences were sampled to take part in the study. They comprised 108 (54.0%) male and 92 (46%) female participants. Mean performances of the tests were as follows: sit up test (23.36 ± 7.20 reps), 12- minutes run test (1606.78 ± 390.29 m) and % body fat (22.68 ± 10.34 %). Sex of the participants, their academic levels and programs of study were positively and significantly correlated (p=0.0001) with the outcome of their performance in sit up test, 12-minutes run test and % body fat. However, there was no significant correlation between their mean performance in the floor touch test and academic levels (p=0.371) and their programs of study (p=0.750).
Conclusion(s): The findings indicate low level of physical fitness among the sampled healthcare students. Sex, academic levels and programs of study were found as relevant determinants of the participants fitness levels.
Implications: The outcome of this study has implication for health policy orientation and setting up of preventive measures for young adult population. Since most correlated factors are identified, it may provide recommendations in the forms of population-specific primary and secondary prevention interventions that draw on existing resources in promoting health planning and services programme.
Funding acknowledgements: Not applicable
Topic: Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing
Ethics approval: Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences (Reference: SBAHS 10/17875/AAR6/2015-2016).
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
