Growth, Body Fat And Motor Performance Of Secondary School Adolescents In Nigeria
Growth, Body Fat And Motor Performance Of Secondary School Adolescents In Nigeria
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Date
1996-10
Authors
Gwani, Julius Atama
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Abstract
The level of sport development in the world today has reached such an enviable position
that many nations are striving hard to produce world class athletes who would do them proud at
international engagement. It is common knowledge that the bulk of athletes of any country,
Nigeria inclusive, come from the adolescent and young adult groups. It has been discovered that a
child is able to function in his environment according to the level of physical fitness which he
possess from the usually school physical education programmes. For children to develop the
motor skills acquired at childhood is necessary that they are exposed to some ways and means of
improving their physical fitness status, Their school Physical Education programme must
emphasize physical fitness as well as the other desirable objectives inherent in physical Education.
It has been reported that the acquisition of proficiency is a major developmental task of
childhood through adolescence (Malina and Mueller, 1981). Toriola et.al 1982). According to
Uppal and Lakew (1990) apart from the level of fitness and technical efficiency, high level of
motor performance is also a consideration when selecting these adolescent for motor competitions.
Several studies examined the trends of motor development among the eleminlaiy as well as
secondary school children and have generally shown that motor skills improve with age for boys
and girls (Espenchade and Echert, 1980; Toriola et al, 1992). There is however scarcity of similar
data on motor performance in addition to the paucity of data on the anthropometric characterises
of adolescents in Nigeria. Therefore the purpose of this study was to investigate growth, body fat
and motor performance patems of Nigerian secondary school adolescents aged 13-18 years.
One thousand two hundred and sixty-six (1266) boys and girls were randomly selected,
which included fifty (50) boys and fifty (50) girls from each of the following age groups 13, 14,
15, 16, 17, and 18 years. Measurements of weight, geight, trunk, upper arm, lower arm, total arm,
upper lelv lower leg and total leg lengths, and girth measurements of arm hip and waist were
recorded. Speed, agility and power were evaluated by administering 50 meter run, shuttle ran, and
standing broad jump respectively. The data thus collected were analyzed, using the SPSS
programme of the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), Shika, Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria. Descriptive statistics such as means and standard deviations were used and
2(gender) 6(age) ANOVAwith Schefee's post-hoc tests to locate the specific difference in the
means p 0.05 were used to test the hypothesis of the study.
The results showed significant gender and age differences p 0. 05 in physical growth,
such as lower aim, total arm, upper leg, lower leg and total leg lengths; and also in ann and hip
girths, whereas age differences in trunk, upper arm lengths and waist girth were found to be
significant. Differences in body fat percent and performance in agility and explosive power were
significant while differences in speed were not statistically significant between adolescent boys and
girls of secondary schools in Nigeria.
From the results, it was concluded that gender and age significantly affected level of
performance varies with age. Furthermore, as acquisition of skills are achieved during adolescence
and earned into adult life, it wad recommended that physical education teachers and coaches
should develop programmes that would enable youths to develop and participate in the various
sports of their choice to realise their full potentials. In addition, it was suggested that state
governments should provide adequate personnel, equipment and facilities to teach physical
education as a compulsory subject in J.S.S. and as an examinable subject at S.S.S
Description
A Dissertation Submitted
In Partial Fulfillment Of The
Requirements For The Award Of
Doctor Of Philosophy In Exercise And Sports Science
Department Of Physical & Health Education
Faculty Of Education
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
October 1996
Keywords
Growth,, Body Fat, Motor,, Performance,, Secondary, School,, Adolescents,, Nigeria.