ABSTRACT

Physical activity and weight status are significant determinants of health and well-being. Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, improves mental health and enhance the quality of life. This was a cross- sectional study which included adults from 18years and above in the study area, carried out to assess the relationship between physical activity and weight status of adults. The sample for the study was 289 adults (comprising 149 males and 140 females), a multi-stage sampling technique was adopted for this study while a well-structured and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Anthropometric measurements like height and weight was collected to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) and classify participants based on World Health Organization (WHO) body weight classification. The study was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage). Findings show that there was a fairly balanced gender distribution, with males representing 51.6% and females 48.4% of the sample.  In terms of age distribution, the most common age group was 29-34 years, comprising 25.6% of the participants followed closely by the 35-40 age group at 20.8%. Educational level showed that nearly a third of the adults  (29.4%) attained secondary education, followed by those with no formal education (26.6%) and tertiary education (26.0%). Study revealed that 46.0% of adults engaged in physical activity daily, 25.6% of the adults spent 46-60 minutes on physical activity each day. The result also revealed some key insights into the weight categories among adults in the study with 40.3% males within the normal BMI range, compared to 35% of female adults. Further result showed that 25.5% of males and 25.7% of females were classified as overweight. In terms of obesity, 23.6% of female adults were in this category, compared to 15.4% of males. The analysis showed that there was a strong positive correlation with weight (r=0.743,P<0.01) and a strong negative correlation with height (r=-0.668,P<0.01). This aligned with a research that indicated that Body Mass Index tends to increase with higher body weight and decrease with greater heights.

The relationship between physical activity variables and anthropometric indicators appeared weak.

No significant relationship was found between physical activity facilities and BMI (r=0.073, P=0.215), weight (r=0.033, P=0.572), or height (r=-0.064, P=0.281). This aligned with a research suggesting that the more presence of facilities did not directly influence body weight or BMI.

It is important to maintain a healthy dietary habit and positive lifestyle pattern by engaging in regular physical activities at least 30 minutes a day.