Search

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic spurred unprecedented public health measures to curb its spread. Such measures might have negatively impacted adolescents’ participation in physical activity and health-related quality of life. However, the evidence is unclear in Nigerian adolescents. This study assessed the physical activity domains, levels, and health-related quality of life in Nigerian adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods: The sample consisted of 430 students in public secondary schools in Nsukka, Enugu State. The students were randomly selected to participate in the cross-sectional study between November 2020 and April 2021. The Demographic Profile Form, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Short Form-36 Health Survey, and Perceived Susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 Infection Questionnaire were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, independent-samples t -test, univariate ANOVA, and multiple linear regressions were conducted using SPSS version 25. Results: The mean score of total physical activity (MET-min/week) was 1651.3 ( SD = 842.18). The mean overall score of health-related quality of life was 78.30 ( SD = 16.43). The mental health component of health-related quality of life showed that adolescents had poor mental health status. Female adolescents had higher mean scores in physical component summary ( M = 83.03; SD = 27.36) and mental component summary ( M = 51.19; SD = 8.69) than the male adolescents, physical component summary ( M = 69.0; SD = 21.65) and mental component summary ( M = 46.15; SD = 10.71). Conclusion: The findings showed a significant positive association among gender, class of study, parental type, perceived susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019, and physical activity domains, levels, and health-related quality of life. In addition, boys had a higher mean score of total physical activity (MET-min/week) than the girls. More girls were less active than the boys. However, concerning the health-related quality of life, girls had higher mean scores in physical component summary and mental component summary than boys. Physical activity interventions that specifically target female adolescents’ physical activity participation are needed. Also, mental health interventions are needed to improve the mental health status of adolescents, especially boys in the post–coronavirus disease 2019 era.

Objective: Psychoactive substance use is prevalent among young people in Nigeria. However, the dearth of accessible and good-quality treatment for substance use disorders in Nigeria creates a treatment gap. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a substance use prevention education programme (SUPEP) for young people in Nigeria. Design: A quasi-experimental study using a pre- post-test was conducted. The experimental group (n = 100) and comparison group (n = 100) comprised students in four senior secondary schools. Data were collected using a validated self-report questionnaire and the WHO Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) version 3.0. Paired sample t-tests, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and generalised and linear mixed models (GLMM) were used for data analysis. Setting: Two hundred young people aged 14-20 years prone to substance use participated in SUPEP in four secondary schools in Enugu State, Southeast, Nigeria. Results: Students' psychoactive substance knowledge and substance use attitudes in the experimental group (p < 0.001) improved significantly post-intervention. ANCOVA results showed that the mean psychoactive substance knowledge score increased significantly between the time points, F(1, 123) = 8.89, p = 0.003. In contrast, mean psychoactive substance use attitudes reduced significantly between the same time points, F(1, 123) = 12.390, p = 0.001. However, no significant difference between the groups was observed in the mean psychoactive substance use behaviour post-intervention. Conclusion: The school-based SUPEP increases psychoactive substance knowledge and improves attitudes. However, the intervention did not reduce substance use among adolescents.