PHYSICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM AND THE LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OF BASIC SCHOOL CHILDREN IN GHANA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejpe.v0i0.1806Keywords:
school children, physical education, physical activity, nutritional status, GhanaAbstract
Purpose: This study sought to investigate the relationship between current physical education curriculum of basic schools and the level of physical activity of children in the Ga East Municipality of Ghana. Method: A total of 201 children from selected schools (4 with physical education curriculum [PE] and 4 without physical education curriculum [NPE]) were included in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic characteristics and physical activity. Pearson’s Chi square test was used to evaluate the relationship between physical education curriculum and physical activity levels of school children. Results: Few of the children met the WHO recommendation for physical activity for the target age-group. The two groups did not differ with respect to the duration of physical activity of the children. Children attending public schools were four times more likely to engage in physical activities for at least 180 minutes per week compared to those in private schools. Conclusion: Current physical education curriculum was not related to the level of physical activity and nutritional status of basic school children in this study. PE lessons need to be restructured so as to meet the physical activity needs of children in basic schools.
Article visualizations:
References
Baruki, SBS, de Lima Rosado, LEFP, Rosado, GP, Ribiero, RCL. (2006). Association between nutritional status and physical activity in Municipal school in Corumbá – MS. Rev Bras Med Esporte 12(2): 80e – 84e
Cooper, K. and Hancock, C. (2011), The Benefits of Physical Activity for Health and Well-being, Matrix Public Health Solutions Inc., London. Page 4
Coyle, E.F. (2004). Fluid and Fuel Intake during Exercise. Journal of Sports Sciences.22:39-55
Diouf, A., Thiam, M., Idohou-Dossou, N., Diongue, O., Megne, N., Diallo, K., Sembene, M. and Wade, S. (2016). Physical Activity Level and Sedentary Behaviours Among Public School Children in Dakar (Senegal) Measured by PAQ-C Accelerometer: Preliminary Results. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 13(10):998; DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13100998, 11 pages
Doe, JW. (2005). Ghana: Education, Physical activity and development. Retrieved on December 17, 2013 from http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/Newsarchive/Ghana_Education_physical_activity_and_development_94811_2005-11-23 Article 94811
Ghana Education Service. (2007). Teaching Syllabus for Physical Education retrieved from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/curricula/ghana/gh_pr_pe_2007_eng_pdf. on 28th April, 2014 at 11:00am.
Guthold, R., Cowan, M. J., Autenrieth, C. S., Kann, L. and Riley, L. M. (2010). Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour among School Children a 34-Country Comparison. Journal of Pediatrics. 157(1):43-49.
Ministry of Education. (2010). Teaching Syllabus for physical Education: Senior High School 1-3. Curriculum Research and Development Division, Ghana Education Service, Accra. Pg. ii.
Moore, D.S. and McCabe,G.P. (1993). Introduction to te Practice of Statistics 2nd ed. W.H.Freeman and Company, New York. Pg. 605.
Steiner-Asiedu, M., Addo, P., Bediako-Amoah, B., Fiadjoe, F. Y. M., Anderson, A. K. (2012). Lifestyle and Nutrition Profile of the overweight and Obese School Children in the Ga-East District of Ghana, Asian Journal of Medical Sciences. 4 (3): 99-104
Trinh, A., Campbel, M., Ukoumunne, O. C., Gener, B. and Wake, M. (2013). Physical Activity and 3-Year BMI Change in Overnight and Obese Children. Journal of American Academy of Pediatrics. 470-477.
Verstraeten, R., Roberfroid, D., Lanchat, C., Leroy, J. L., Holdsworth, M., Maes, L. and Kolsteren, P. W. (2012). Effectiveness of Preventive School Based Obesity Intervention in Low and Middle Income Countries: a Systematic Review. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 96(2):415-438
Viuda-Serrano, A., Gonzalez M. C. and Perez-Gonzalez, B. (2011). Obesity Prevention through Physical Activity in School Age Children and Adolescents retrieved from https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/IOC/What-We-Do/Promote-Olympism/Sport-And-Active-Society/Conferences/2010/EN-2-CamiloJoseCelaUniversityStudy-preventionofobesity-final.pdf on 28th April, 2014 at 3:59pm.
WHO (2010). Global recommendations on physical activity for health. ISBN 978 924 159 9979. Downloaded on July 20, 2017 from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44399/9789241599979_eng.pdf;jsessionid=EDD8E104D2CFBBBF52395E5678232457?sequence=1
World Health organization. (2013). Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health retrieved from http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/pa/en/ on 28th April, 2014 at 3pm.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
