Sport participation and injuries among undergraduate students of a Nigerian University.

Backgroud: Sports participation is a healthy behaviour but it is not without the risk of injuries. Information on the extent of sport participation and sport injuries among Nigerian Unversity students is sparse. Objeclive: To determine the prevalence and types of sport participation and injuries among university.students in Nigeria. Factors associated with sport participation among students were also examined. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire to collect information on the frequcncy and types of sport participation and sport-related injuries among a representative sample of undergraduate students of the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Resuts: A sport participation prevalence of 64.2% (95%CI: 59.5 - 68.7) was recorded among students. Football (soccer) (53.2%) had the highest participation rate. Male students (78.4% vs.41.2%) participated more frequently in sports (p <0.001). Overall injury rate was 52.5 injuries/100 students/ year (95%CI: 46.5 - 58.5). The prevalence of injury was 45.7% in male and 12.7% in female students. About half (49.3%) of reported injuries resulted in time loss. The leg and ankle were the most frequently injured body parts for all injuries and most serious injuries. Football recorded the highest prevalence of injury (73.8%). CONCLUSION: Sport participation among students was fair and injury rate was considerably high, mostly affecting the lower extremity and most injuries resulting from football participation. This study suggests the need for improved sport participation support among students and the need for the initiation of injury prevention initiatives by stakeholders.

Work related stress and coping mechanisms among bankers in Lagos, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed knowledge, prevalence, associated factors and mechanisms of coping with stress among bankers in Lagos State. METHODS: It was a descriptive cross sectional study. A two stage sampling technique was used to select two hundred and twenty seven (227) respondents. Data was collected using a structured self administered questionnaire. The analysis was done using Epi-info version 2002 software and Chi Square was used to determine association between variables at p value 0.05. Fischer's Exact test was used where Chi-square was not valid. RESULTS: The age range of respondents was between 20 and 49 years while the mean age was 31.3 +/- 5.0 years. Only 3.6% had good level of knowledge about stress, 42.2% had fair level while more than half of the respondents had poor level of knowledge about stress (54.3%). Majority (67.0%) of the respondents were moderately stressed while one quarter (24.7%) were highly stressed. Majority (92.4%) of the respondents used good coping mechanisms though 69.5% of the respondents also used bad coping mechanisms. A greater proportion of those who had poor knowledge about stress were stressed or highly stressed (p = 0.002). A statistically significant association was also found between the departments in the bank and level of stress of the respondents (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The prevalence of stress was high among the bank workers studied. It is recommended that effective stress management programmes are implemented to address the problem of stress among bank workers.

Physical activity profile of senior civil servants in Lagos, Nigeria: need for effective strategies for improvement.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the profile of physical activity (PA) among Lagos State senior civil servants (LSCSs). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey in which 305 LSCSs (163 men, 142 women) with age range 25 65 years, in five ministries of the LSCS was carried out in May of 2011. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) was used to assess respondents' PA at work, for transport, and during leisure time during the last 7 days. RESULTS: Overall, 56.7% of the respondents (58.3% men and 54.9% women) were active; equivalent to 43.3% inactive respondents (41.7% men and 54.9% women). In spite of the high prevalence of physical inactivity in the women, gender was not significantly associated with PA levels (p = 0.718). However, the educational status and cadre of respondents were significantly associated with PA levels (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study showed that close to half of LSCSs were physically inactive. There was no significant difference between the PA levels of men and women but educational status and cadre were associated with the PA levels of respondents. The results provided by this study suggests the need for the Lagos State government and stakeholders to formulate polices, plan programmes and interventions for LSCSs to get more physically active.

Effects of dance movement therapy on selected cardiovascular parameters and estimated maximum oxygen consumption in hypertensive patients.

BACKGROUND: Objective:Arterial hypertension is a medical condition associated with increased risks of of death, cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular morbidity including stroke, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation and renal insufficiency. Regular physical exercise is considered to be an important part of the non-pharmacologictreatment of hypertension. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dance movement therapy (DMT) on selected cardiovascular parameters and estimated maximum oxygen consumption in hypertensive patients. METHODS: Fifty (50) subjects with hypertension participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to 2 equal groups; A (DMT group) and B (Control group). Group A carried out dance movement therapy 2 times a week for 4 weeks while group B underwent some educational sessions 2 times a week for the same duration. All the subjects were on anti-hypertensive drugs. 38 subjects completed the study with the DMTgroup having a total of 23 subjects (10 males and 13 females) and the control group 15 subjects (6 males and 9 females). Descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation and inferential statistics of paired and independentt-testwere used for data analysis. RESULTS: Following four weeks of dance movement therapy, paired t-test analysis showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the Resting systolic blood pressure (RSBP) (p < 0.001*), Resting diastolic blood pressure (RDBP) (p < 0.001*), Resting heart rate (RHR) (p = 0.024*), Maximum heart rate (MHR) (p=0.002*) and Estimated oxygen consumption (VO2max) (p = 0.023*) in subjects in group A (p < 0.05) while there was no significant difference observed in outcome variables of subjects in group B (p > 0.05). Independent t-test analysis between the differences in the pre and post intervention scores of groups A and B also showed statistically significant differences in all the outcome variables (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: DMT was effective in improving cardiovascular parameters and estimated maximum oxygen consumption in hypertensive patients.

Incidence and characteristics of injuries during the 2011 West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Nations' Cup.

BACKGROUND: Prospective studies on football injuries and their risk factors in the African setting are sparse. Such studies are needed to understand the peculiarities of injuries and hence proffer appropriate intervention for injury prevention in the region. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence and characteristics of match injuries during the 2011 West Africa Football Union (WAFU) cup. METHODS: Team physiotherapists from the participating teams documented all newly incurred injuries on standardised injury report forms using the Federation of International Football Association's (FIFA) Medical Assessment and Research Centre protocols. RESULTS: An overall of 89 injuries were sustained during the tournament, resulting in 9.9 injuries per match or 289 injuries per 1000 player hours. Seventeen (19.1%) of these injuries resulted in loss of competition activity (time-loss), equivalent to 1.9 injuries per match or 55.2 injuries per 1000 player hours. Over three quarters (73; 82%) of injuries were incurred through contact with another player. The lower leg accounted for almost a quarter of all injuries (21; 23.6%) while the knee recorded the highest number of time-loss injuries (5; 29.4%). The most frequent types of injury were contusion (61; 68.5%) and strain (13; 14.6%). CONCLUSION: The overall incidence of injuries during the WAFU cup was much higher than those of other tournaments ever documented but the characteristics of injuries were similar. In order to fully define the nature of injuries and more reliably identify the risk of injury for the establishment of injury prevention strategies that will be appropriate for this region of the world, it is imperative that further systematic injury recording and analysis in African players are carried out.

Physical activity level, nutritional intake, functional status and quality of life of geriatric individuals in Lagos, South-West, Nigeria: a cross sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Participation in physical activity (PA) and healthy nutrition are important factors that affects muscle and bone strength and the resultant functioning in the activities of daily living (ADL) skills including the overall quality of life (QoL) of geriatric individuals. However, the relationships between all these parameters are yet to be fully documented and studies from developing countries are lacking. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the relationships between PA level, frequency of nutritional intake of food rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D and the basic ADL, instrumental ADL and QoL of geriatric individuals in Lagos, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 394 geriatric individuals. A combination of standardized questionnaires which assessed the socio-demographic parameters, PA level, frequency of intake of food rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D, ADL skills, and QoL of the geriatric individuals was used. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-square. RESULTS: The highest proportion (35.5%) of participating geriatric individuals was at the active PA level. PA level was statistically associated with QoL, basic and instrumental ADL, (X2 = 199.57, p = 0.001; X2 = 87.07, p = 0.000; and X2 = 164.53, p = 0.001 respectively). There was also an association between frequency of intake of food rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D and the basic ADL (X2 = 97.43, p = 0.001), instrumental ADL (X2 = 151.56, p = 0.001) and QoL (X2 = 250.21, p = 0.001) of the studied geriatric individuals. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that an increase in PA level and regular intake of food rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D were associated with optimal functional status and better QoL in geriatric individuals. Educational programmes on the importance of participation in regular PA and healthy nutrition are imperative and recommended for geriatric individuals.

Treatment of sports injuries referred for physiotherapy at a national sports medicine centre in Nigeria: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Physiotherapists are important members of the sports medicine team and are involved in the prevention and management of injured athletes right from the acute stage of injury to the stage of rehabilitation. However, the type of treatments rendered to injured athletes and level of physiotherapy utilisation in terms of injury referrals for physiotherapy in sports medicine in Nigeria is not fully known. OBJECTIVE: To find out the extent of referral of sports injuries for physiotherapy and types of treatments rendered to injured athletes referred for physiotherapy at the National Sports Medicine Centre (NSMC), Lagos, South-West, Nigeria. METHODS: All case files at the general records unit from January 1995 to December 2002 were investigated. Information on athlete's sport, body part treated and physiotherapy modalities used between January 1997 and December 2002 were also extracted from the treatment register at the physiotherapy department of the sports medicine centre. RESULTS: A total of 171 sports related injuries were reported at the general records unit of the NSMC, with a male to female ratio of 2:1. Of this number, 121 (70.8%) were referred for physiotherapy with strain (n = 57, 33.3%) constituting the majority of physiotherapy referrals. At the physiotherapy department, the knee (n = 43, 30.1%) and the thigh (n = 33, 25.4%) were the most treated body parts. Track and field events (n = 48, 36.9%) recorded the highest number of injuries treated. Exercise therapy (n = 81, 25.5%) was the most frequently used modality, followed closely by transcutenous electrical nerve stimulation therapy (n = 73, 20.3%). CONCLUSION: The frequency of referral of sports injuries for physiotherapy at the NSMC was high. Exercise therapy was the most frequently used treatment modality and injuries affecting the lower limbs were mostly treated. Emphasis should therefore be laid on prevention of lower limb injuries.

Treatment of Sports Injuries Referred for Physiotherapy at a National Sports Medicine Centre in Nigeria: a Retrospective Study

Background: Physiotherapists are important members of the sports medicine team and are involved in the prevention and management of injured athletes right from the acute stage of injury to the stage of rehabilitation. However; the type of treatments rendered to injured athletes and level of physiotherapy utilisation in terms of injury referrals for physiotherapy in sports medicine in Nigeria is not fully known. Objective: To find out the extent of referral of sports injuries for physiotherapy and types of treatments rendered to injured athletes referred for physiotherapy at the National Sports Medicine Centre (NSMC); Lagos; South-West; Nigeria. Methods: All case files at the general records unit from January 1995 to December 2002 were investigated. Information on athlete's sport; body part treated and physiotherapy modalities used between January 1997 and December 2002 were also extracted from the treatment register at the physiotherapy department of the sports medicine centre. Results: A total of 171 sports related injuries were reported at the general records unit of the NSMC; with a male to female ratio of 2:1. Of this number; 121 (70.8) were referred for physiotherapy with strain (n= 57; 33.3) constituting the majority of physiotherapy referrals. At the physiotherapy department; the knee (n=43; 30.1) and the thigh (n=33; 25.4) were the most treated body parts. Track and field events (n=48; 36.9) recorded the highest number of injuries treated. Exercise therapy (n=81; 25.5) was the most frequently used modality; followed closely by transcutenous electrical nerve stimulation therapy (n=73; 20.3). Conclusion: The frequency of referral of sports injuries for physiotherapy at the NSMC was high. Exercise therapy was the most frequently used treatment modality and injuries affecting the lower limbs were mostly treated. Emphasis should therefore be laid on prevention of lower limb injuries