Addressing Contemporary Health Challenges of Young Adults and Adolescents Through School and Community Based Sports in Ughelli Township
CHAPTER ONE
Aim and Objectives of the Study
- Assess the impact of school-based sports programs on the physical health of school children in Delta State.
- Evaluate the community-based sports initiatives and their influence on the overall health and well-being of school children.
- Identify the factors that contribute to the success or hindrance of sports programs in addressing non-communicable diseases among school children.
- Provide recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of sports interventions in promoting children’s health in Delta State.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
This chapter reviews several literature on health communication, communication for polio eradication intervention and immunization, diseases intervention and communication framework by UNICEF and polio vaccine supply.
Central to human survival is maintaining a good health for better productivity. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO 1948). Global attention is on health communication especially communicating Dieases eradication to achieve Dieases disease-free and healthier society. Children are the future leaders of tomorrow and the effect of Dieases results in physical impairment of the arm or leg. Hence, it is paramount to communicate the dangers of Dieases and importance and use of the vaccine for a healthier society.
Conceptual Review
The conceptual review provides a foundational understanding of the key concepts and principles underlying the proposed intervention to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among school children in Delta State through school and community-based sports programs. The primary focus is on defining NCDs, understanding the factors contributing to their rise among school children, and exploring the potential impact of sports programs on preventing and mitigating these health challenges. This section lays the groundwork for the study by establishing a clear conceptual framework that guides the subsequent theoretical and empirical reviews.
Contextualizing Health Communication
Before delving into health communication, it is pertinent to explain the term communication itself. Communication is essential because it is vital in the existence of mankind. Communication involves sharing, understanding and knowledge creation between people. It is a process of transmitting and receiving information on a particular issue between people. Communication for Development Roundtable Report (2004:7) postulates that:
Without communication, there can be no democracy and without democracy, there can be no liberation and development because communication is important to development and nation building. Communication holds the key to progress, change and stability of democratic institutions upon which life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness of the nation rest.
Communication paves way for participation and sustainable development through behaviour and attitude change which will bring about nation building. People must be given the right to communicate because if people lack this right then democracy seizes to exist. The right to freedom of speech brings about proper understanding of a people or individual and what they know and believe. As Igbuzor (2006) stated „education is a right that should be accorded to all human beings solely by reason of being human.‟ More so, communication is a right that should be accorded to all human beings solely by reason of being human. The public needs to exercise this right of being human by expressing their concerns and knowledge about issues that affect their lives as well as how it should be communicated. Information from health practitioners and local people should be harnessed for the benefit of all. This right needs to be given to them through proper communication approach. Sharing of information between rural dwellers and health experts on health matters bridges the gap of distrust and creates an enabling environment for decision making that will enhance adjustment of behaviours for better health condition.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
The importance of methodology to a research work cannot be over emphasized, as it is very necessary for a researcher to have a designed arrangement as regards the way to gather data. This study explored qualitative and quantitative research methods to generate data. These methods are suitable because they engender adequate interaction with the respondents to get hold of salient and underlying information on the study.
Study Population
The population used for this study included inhabitants of settlements in Okere ward with population size of 4554 and Obodo ward with the population size of 2329 (Volunteer Community Mobilizer Micro Census December 2015) in Warri Local Government Area where Volunteer Community Mobilizer Network operates. Also, members of Volunteer Community Mobilizer Network; supervisors, communicators and vaccinators among others, also constitute the population of this study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
Introduction
This chapter deals with the presentation of results and discussion of data gathered for the study. This study adopted both the quantitative and qualitative methods of research for the data collection and analysis. The quantitative data gathered through questionnaire were analyzed while the qualitative data from the conducted focus group discussion and key informant interview were used to support the findings of the quantitative data.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS
A sense of program ownership was evident as students articulated suggestions to ensure better implementation in the future. They suggested that:
- Itis better to conduct the activity during holidays or
- They revealed their satisfaction after exhausting all efforts to conduct the activity, knowing they have realized their goals.
(iii).They expressed the need for enough equipment. Including balls, cones, markers, bibs, shoes and others.
(iv). Another suggestion was for the establishment of a ―Sport for Community Development Center‖ in the university which will be useful for sports-focused Service-Learning activities.
(v). The program must be expanded to include distant communities which are not reached by social action activity and where the need is highly felt.
(vi). It was recommended that the Sports Science Service-Learning program will include other disciplines or sports for the development of lifetime skills.
Follow-up activities
As a follow up, another S-L training was done in August 2016, this time focusing on health and sports leadership skills. In January and February 2023, 50 university students from different disciplines were trained on coaching with students—who were later grouped— conducting their own sports training in five communities.
Conclusion
For a long time, university life in Nigeria had been focused mainly on the education of the mind, considering the long socio-political situation in the country. Consequently, distance learning became popular. Structured community service and engagement was hardly a part of the curricular content. With universities expanding their vision and mission in the past years, the idea of serving communities was readily embraced by the schools and students, who saw an occasion for using their knowledge and skills gained in the classroom for sharing, especially in promoting not only sports skills, but also and more significantly, in increasing awareness among young people on a health concern, like HIV-AIDS. The students‘ comments, evaluation and journals are testimonials to their realization that they can use their knowledge and skills through social action that promotes citizenship building and civic pride by helping mold the younger generation. Their appreciation of their pioneering S-L experience spurred them to continue and expand the program to cover more social concerns.
The pioneering program had its share of shortcomings—from equipment and materials to time constraints and inconsistent participation by some students and children, but what the team leader said summarizes the impact of the Service Learning experience among Edo state Sports Science students: ―I am glad I was part of the first-ever S-L activity in the university and, perhaps, in the country. We had some limitations but we knew we had to do it. We will look back to the experience as an occasion to serve the children of Nigeria‖.
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