Physical Activity among Secondary Level School Students of Banepa Municipality.

Background Physical activity plays a crucial role in overall growth and development of adolescents. Physical inactivity (insufficient physical activity) has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality (6% of death globally). Regular physical activity is recommended for the prevention of non-communicable disease and improvement of overall health. Worldwide, 81% of adolescents aged 11-17 years are physically inactive. Objective To assess physical activity and its association with selected variables among secondary level students of selected schools of Banepa municipality. Method A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using standard Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Data were collected from 70 students using convenience sampling technique. Socio-demographic, environmental and lifestyle factor were also included in the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, median) and inferential statistics (Chi square test, Monte Carlo test) were applied using Statistical Package for Social Science Version 25 for data analysis. Result This study found that one sixth of the respondents reported low physical activity. Among males, the figure was 27.3% while in females it was 13.5%. Similarly, 72.7% of males met the World Health Organization recommendation for physical activity (≥ 600 Metabolic Equivalent for Task min/week) and 85.5% of females met the criteria. There was high contribution of recreational domain on physical activity. Conclusion This study concludes that most of the respondents had a high level of physical activity. Total physical activity score was largely contributed by recreational activity. This study did not find any association between levels of physical activity and selected socio-demographic, environmental and lifestyle related variables.