INFLUENCE OF NUTRITION AND EXERCISE ON THE WELL-BEING OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AKINYELE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OYO STATE.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of nutrition and exercise on
the well-being of secondary school students in Akinyele Local Government Area of
Oyo State, Nigeria. Three hypotheses were formulated and the survey design of
descriptive research was used for the study. A sample size of two hundred and fifty
(250) respondents was used from ten public secondary schools in Akinyele local
government in which each school fielded twenty-five respondents. A structured
questionnaire titled Nutrition and Exercise on the Well-Being of Secondary School
Students in Akinyele (NEWBSSSA) was used as research instrument. The hypotheses
were tested using linear regression (r2) at 0.05 level of significance. The findings
revealed that there is significant influence of nutrition on well-being, nutrition on
emotional well-being and exercise on the mental well-being of secondary school
students (r = 0.936, 0.927 and 0.955 respectively) These factors explained a
standardized Beta of 0.441 for the independent variable symbolizes a positive and
relatively strong predictor. It was concluded that nutrition and exercise are
undeniably vital to the well-being of students and it also influences not only physical health but also cognitive function, emotional stability, and social interactions, all of
which are crucial for success in an academic environment. The researchers
recommended that parents should model positive eating behaviours, that is, parents
should serve as role models to their children by making healthy food choices
themselves. Children are more likely to adopt healthy eating habits if they observe
their parents making these choices.