Prevalence of Low Physical Fitness and its Related Factors among Primary School learners in Lagos state, Nigeria

Background and purpose: Current evidence shows physical fitness (PF) among children and adolescents in Africa and around the world is declining and the trend is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the baseline PF data of primary school children in Lagos State, Nigeria, and to determine the predictors of low PF within the cohort. Materials and Methods: A total of 733 primary school children aged 6-12 years in Lagos, Nigeria, were included in this cross-sectional quantitative study. Physical fitness measures were assessed using the EUROFIT battery test including sit and reach (S&R), standing long Jump (SLJ), sit ups (SU), 5m shuttle run test (5m-SRT) and cricket ball throw (CBT). A structured questionnaire was used to determine the sociodemographic factors. Anthropometric and cardiovascular measurements were taken using standardized protocols.  Data was analysed using descriptive statistics of frequencies, percentages, median, and quartiles, and inferential statistics of Mann Whitney U test, Quade ANCOVA Correlation matrix and multiple linear regression model. Results: Boys showed significantly higher SU counts (p<0.001), higher CBT (p<0.001), lower 5mSR (p=0.003), and same SLJ (p=0.008) than girls, whereas S&R scores were statistically comparable (p=0.135). Also, the results showed that Sex (B = -0.647, p =0.015), height (B= 0.831, p= 0.000), weight (B= -0.641, p=0.007) and HC (B=0.955, p=0.009) were significantly associated with Total PF (measured using S&R, SLJ, SU,5MT, and CBT). Conclusions. Increased weight and gender were the main predictors of low PF among primary school children in Lagos Nigeria.