Physical Activity Levels and Sedentary Behaviours of Students with Hearing Loss in Ghana: A Case Study

Abstract

This study aimed to assess physical activity (PA) levels and sedentary behaviours (SB) of students with hearing loss (SWHL) at Mampong Senior High Technical School for the Deaf (MSHTSD). A survey design was employed for this study. The sample size for the study was 392 students with hearing loss (201 boys and 191 girls) from MSHTSD, who were all selected using Census sampling. Data was collected using the International Physical Activity questionnaire (short form) and the Sedentary Behaviour questionnaire. 392 questionnaires were administered and retrieved; however, 318 were deemed well filled out as directed by the researcher and coded for analysis. MET was calculated, and descriptive statistics of frequency and percentages were used to ascertain the PA and SB of the students. Spearman rho was used to calculate the correlation between students PA and SB. An Independent sample t-test was used to establish the gender difference in participants PA and SB levels. The study results highlighted different levels of PA among the participants, while SB varied among the study population. 200(62.9%) out of the 318 SWHL were categorized as highly active, indicating a commendable engagement in PA. Notwithstanding students’ high PA level, SB patterns were polarized. Thus, 44.3% of the SWHL reported no SB, while a closer percentage of 30.8% exhibited sedentariness. A positive correlation (Spearman’s rho = 0.379, p < 0.001) was observed between the PA levels and SB of the students. There were notable gender disparities in both PA and SB, with males exhibiting higher PA levels (t-value = 3.294, p < 0.001) and lower sedentariness (t-value = 2.206, p = 0.028) compared to their female counterparts. The study concluded that SWHL at Mampong have high PA and somewhat low SB levels. A positive correlation exists between SWHLs PA and SB levels. Furthermore, there was a noteworthy gender difference in both PA levels and sedentariness among the study population.