Evaluation of the promotion of physical activity in Beninese secondary schools and the level of physical activity of Beninese youth.

ntroduction.

Physical inactivity is the 4th leading cause of death in the world. Many studies focus on the youth population in developed countries but what about the situation in developing countries such as Benin? This study aims to analyse the level of physical activity (PA) of school children and the promotion of PA in secondary schools in Benin.

Methodology.

For the analysis of active lifestyle promotion, this research drew on the study by Mouton et al. in 2015 and Snyers et al. in 2014. We considered 6 dimensions: official school policy - physical education (PE) classes - active transport policies - school sport - promotion of PA as an interdisciplinary process - facilities used by the school for PE and sport. To collect the data, different interviews were conducted in 23 Beninese schools: with the school headmaster, with a class teacher (randomly selected), with a PE teacher (randomly selected). Two students (one girl and one boy) per secondary year (randomly selected) were asked to answer a questionnaire to determine their PA level. The 23 schools evaluated were located in the south of Benin in rural areas and 312 students participated.

Results and conclusion.

The schools analysed do not really promote PA.Young people in rural schools have a good level of PA. However, there was no evidence that the school was the cause of this good level of physical activity among these young people. The sedentary lifestyle rate has been seriously increasing in recent years in Benin, and differences in PA that may exist between young people in and out of school, in rural and urban areas, or in the general population should not be overlooked. Therefore, further studies should explore correlates of PA in developing countries and take into account sociodemographic differences.