Built Environment as a Correlate and Predictor of Physical Activity Behaviour Among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction. Adopting an active lifestyle remains one of the most affordable and cost-effective means to reduce the risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, depression and other chronic diseases that are increasingly reported among students in the modern technology-driven world. This study aimed to explore the contributions of the built environment to the physical activity behaviour of university students in Nigeria.

Material and methods. Correlational survey research design was adopted. The population was 1,648 university students drawn from three tertiary institutions in Kwara State, Nigeria. The population was stratified into Federal, State and Private institutions, using proportionate and random sampling techniques to select a sample of 412 respondents. Two instruments were used for data collection: the researcher-developed University Built Environment Predictors of Physical Activity Questionnaire (UBE-PPAQ; r = 0.85) and the standardised International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The IPAQ established concurrent reliability ranging from 0.78 to 0.92 in the Nigerian context. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Ilorin. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 software was used for data analysis which comprised descriptive and inferential statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA and hierarchical multiple regression at an alpha level of 0.05.

Results. The findings showed that 234 (56.8%) respondents were physically active. Bike paths and trails were reported as unavailable by all respondents, whereas sidewalks, street lighting, sports/exercise facilities, and sidewalk interconnectivity were reported as available by all respondents. Built environment features significantly predicted physical activity behaviour, explaining 75.1% of its variance (R = 0.867, R² = 0.751, Adjusted R² = 0.747), F(4, 404) = 287.450, p < 0.001. Gender (β = 0.161, p < 0.001), sports/exercise facilities (β = 0.552, p < 0.001), sidewalks (β = 0.387, p < 0.001), sidewalk interconnectivity (β = 0.296, p < 0.001), and street lighting (β = 0.286, p < 0.001) were significant positive predictors of physical activity behaviour.

Conclusions. Improving university built environment features may be an effective strategy for promoting sustainable physical activity among university students in Nigeria.