Physical Activity Participation Among Adolescent Females Attending Secondary Schools in Enugu State: Identifying Factors That Influence Engagement

Chidiebele P Ojukwu; Chisom O Mefor; Adaeze I Onyekwelu; Chiedozie Eleje; Akachukwu O Nwosu; Juliet L Ekowa; Ifeoma O Anyachor; Kadiree E Fatai

doi:10.20944/preprints202606.2096.v1

Submitted:

28 June 2026

Posted:

29 June 2026

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Abstract

Background: Adolescent girls in Nigeria face multiple barriers to physical activity (PA), yet qualitative evidence on their lived experiences remains limited. Understanding these experiences is essential for developing culturally appropriate interventions to promote active lifestyles. This study explored the nature and patterns of PA participation, the enablers and barriers influencing engagement, and strategies for improving PA among adolescent girls in Enugu State, Nigeria. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted among 20 adolescent girls aged 10–19 years using semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, guided by the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM). The study was reported in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ). Results: Four themes were identified: (1) PA was predominantly unstructured and embedded within domestic chores and routine walking rather than intentional exercise; (2) participation was facilitated by parental support, teacher encouragement, peer influence, and access to school facilities; (3) barriers included academic demands, restrictive gender norms, school hierarchy, psychological factors, physical discomfort, and environmental constraints; and (4) participants recommended structured school-based programmes, equitable opportunities, improved facilities, and health education to promote PA. Conclusions: Physical activity participation among adolescent girls was shaped by interacting individual, interpersonal, organisational, and environmental factors. Beyond commonly reported barriers, this study identifies school hierarchy as an important organisational influence that may restrict opportunities for physical activity participation. These findings highlight the need for multilevel, gender-sensitive interventions that strengthen supportive school environments, address sociocultural and organisational barriers, and improve equitable access to safe opportunities for regular physical activity.

Keywords:

adolescent girls

;

physical activity

;

barriers

;

facilitators

;

secondary schools

;

Nigeria

Subject:

Public Health and Healthcare - Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation

Background and Rationale

The health benefits of physical activity (PA) are well established, with extensive evidence demonstrating its contribution to improved physical, mental, and social health across the lifespan. Regular participation in PA is associated with enhanced emotional well-being, stronger social relationships, improved self-esteem and resilience, and better academic performance among adolescents [1,2,3]. Furthermore, regular physical activity plays a critical role in the prevention of non-communicable diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, while improving overall quality of life [2,3].

Despite these well-established benefits, global trends indicate a concerning decline in physical activity participation during adolescence, with a particularly marked reduction among females. Current evidence consistently shows that adolescent girls are less physically active than boys, and this disparity increases with age [3,4]. Physical activity behaviours among adolescent girls are shaped by a complex interplay of individual, interpersonal, environmental, and sociocultural factors, underscoring the need for context-specific research to better understand these influences [5,13].

Recent global estimates indicate that approximately 81% of adolescents do not achieve the recommended minimum of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day, with the prevalence of insufficient physical activity being consistently higher among girls than boys [3,4]. These findings highlight physical inactivity as a major global public health challenge. The burden is particularly concerning in low- and middle-income countries, including those in Sub-Saharan Africa, where rapid urbanisation, technological advancement, and changing lifestyle patterns have contributed to declining physical activity levels among young people. Current evidence suggests that only 8% to 35% of adolescents in the region achieve recommended levels of physical activity [5,6]. This epidemiological transition has been accompanied by increasing sedentary behaviours, creating additional challenges for promoting healthy and active lifestyles among African adolescents.

The burden of physical inactivity is similarly evident in Nigeria, where inadequate physical activity among adolescents has emerged as an important public health concern. National evidence indicates that only about 37% of adolescents achieve the recommended level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), with girls consistently reporting lower levels of participation than boys [7]. More recent evidence from Lagos State similarly demonstrated that a substantial proportion of school-attending adolescents do not meet the recommended physical activity levels [8]. Adolescent girls are particularly disadvantaged, with much of their daily movement comprising domestic chores and incidental activities rather than structured or recreational physical activity [9,10]. In addition to low participation, girls encounter multiple context-specific barriers, including restrictive gender norms, competing domestic responsibilities, limited access to safe recreational spaces, inadequate school-based sports facilities, and broader sociocultural and environmental constraints that collectively influence both the quantity and quality of their physical activity [11,12].

Although previous studies in Nigeria have documented low levels of physical activity among adolescents and identified several associated factors, the available evidence has been derived predominantly from quantitative surveys [7,8,9,10]. While these studies have been valuable for estimating prevalence and identifying associated factors, they provide limited insight into the lived experiences, motivations, perceptions, and sociocultural contexts that shape physical activity behaviours among adolescent girls. Understanding these contextual influences is essential for developing culturally appropriate, gender-sensitive interventions that effectively promote active lifestyles within this population.

There is therefore a need for qualitative inquiry to explore the factors influencing physical activity participation among adolescent girls, moving beyond prevalence estimates to understand how they perceive, experience, and assign meaning to physical activity within their everyday lives. Guided by the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM), which recognises that health behaviours are influenced by dynamic interactions among individual, interpersonal, organisational, community, and policy-level factors [13], this study explores physical activity participation among adolescent girls attending secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria. Specifically, this study aims to characterise patterns of physical activity participation, identify the barriers and facilitators influencing engagement, and explore adolescent girls’ perceptions and experiences of physically active lifestyles in Enugu State, Nigeria.

Methods

Study Design

This study employed a qualitative descriptive design to explore physical activity participation among adolescent girls attending secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria, and to identify factors influencing their engagement. A qualitative descriptive approach was considered appropriate for capturing participants’ experiences, perceptions, and contextual influences on physical activity behaviours while providing rich descriptions that remain close to participants’ accounts [14,15,16,17].

The study was underpinned by the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM), which conceptualises physical activity as being influenced by interactions among individual, interpersonal, organisational, community, and policy-level factors. The SEM informed the development of the interview guide and the interpretation of findings [13].

The study was conducted in accordance with established qualitative research principles and reported following the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines [16].

Researcher Positionality and Reflexivity

The interviews were conducted by members of the research team (CO, OJ, CE and OA), all of whom were trained in qualitative interviewing and had backgrounds in physiotherapy and physical activity promotion. Although their professional backgrounds may have influenced interpretations of physical activity, reflexivity was maintained throughout the study through continuous self-reflection and reflexive note-taking during data collection and analysis. There was no prior relationship between the researchers and participants before recruitment. These measures helped ensure that participants’ perspectives remained central to the interpretation of the findings [18,19].

Participants and Recruitment

The study population comprised adolescent girls attending secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria. Eligible participants were girls aged 10–19 years who were currently enrolled in secondary school, able to communicate effectively in English, Igbo, or Nigerian Pidgin, and willing to participate. Girls with medical conditions that substantially limited participation in routine physical activity or impaired their ability to participate meaningfully in interviews were excluded. Trained athletes were also excluded to ensure that the findings reflected the experiences of the general adolescent population.

Participants were recruited using purposive sampling to capture diverse experiences across age groups and social contexts. Recruitment was conducted in community settings, including church premises and residential areas, which provided neutral environments for discussing physical activity experiences outside the influence of school authorities.

A total of 20 participants were recruited. Sample size was guided by the concept of information power, with recruitment continuing until sufficient depth and breadth of information had been obtained and no substantially new insights emerged [20].

Procedures

Ethical approval was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State (Approval No.: NHREC/05/01/2008B–FWA00002458–IRB00002323). Written informed consent was obtained from parents or guardians, and written assent was obtained from participants aged below 18 years before data collection. Participation was voluntary, and confidentiality and anonymity were maintained throughout the study. Data collection was conducted between July and August 2025.

Data were collected through one-to-one, in-depth semi-structured interviews using an interview guide developed from the study objectives and informed by the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) [21]. The interview guide was pilot-tested with two adolescent girls who met the inclusion criteria but were not included in the main study to ensure clarity, relevance, and cultural appropriateness [21].

Interviews were conducted face-to-face by members of the research team (OJ and OA) in quiet, private locations within community settings and lasted approximately 20–45 minutes. Interviews were conducted primarily in English; however, participants were free to communicate in Igbo or Nigerian Pidgin whenever they felt more comfortable expressing their views. Interviews conducted partly in Igbo or Nigerian Pidgin were translated into English during transcription using contextual translation to preserve participants’ intended meanings. The translations were undertaken by members of the research team (OA, KF, OJ, and CO), all of whom were fluent in English, Igbo, and Nigerian Pidgin, and were cross-checked against the audio recordings to ensure translation accuracy and consistency [22].

The semi-structured interview guide explored physical activity participation patterns, barriers and facilitators to participation, and perceptions of physical activity. Probing questions were used to clarify responses and explore emerging issues in greater depth [21]. All interviews were audio-recorded with participants’ permission.Contextual translation was used to preserve participants’ intended meanings, and transcripts were reviewed alongside the audio recordings to ensure consistency and maintain the original meaning [22].

The interview guide explored physical activity participation patterns, barriers and facilitators to participation, and perceptions of physical activity. Probing questions were used to clarify responses and explore emerging issues in greater depth [21,22]. All interviews were audio-recorded with participants’ permission. Audio recordings and interview transcripts were stored on a password-protected computer accessible only to the research team.

Data Analysis

Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. Interviews conducted partly in Igbo or Nigerian Pidgin were translated into English during transcription before all transcripts were anonymised and prepared for analysis [22]. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis following the six-phase framework described by Braun and Clarke [23,24]. The analytical process involved familiarisation with the data, generation of initial codes, development and review of themes, definition and naming of themes, and production of the final report.

Coding was undertaken independently by two members of the research team (CO and KF), who initially coded the transcripts separately. The coding outputs were subsequently compared and discussed, and any differences were resolved through consensus to develop a common coding framework. Emerging themes were further reviewed with the wider research team (OJ, OA, and EC) to enhance analytical depth and reflexive interpretation. A semantic approach was adopted, focusing on participants’ explicit accounts, while analysis remained iterative, involving repeated movement between the data, codes, and themes to ensure that the findings accurately reflected participants’ perspectives [23,24].

The final themes were interpreted using the Socio-Ecological Model to understand influences operating across individual, interpersonal, organisational, community, and policy levels. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were computed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version XX (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) to summarise participants’ demographic characteristics. These descriptive statistics were used solely to characterise the study sample and were not integrated into the qualitative analysis. Interview transcripts were not returned to participants for comment or correction.

Methodological Rigour (Trustworthiness)

Methodological rigour was ensured using the criteria of credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability described by Lincoln and Guba [25]. Credibility was enhanced through in-depth interviews, verbatim transcription, prolonged engagement with the data, and the use of participants’ quotations to support the findings. Dependability was maintained through the use of a semi-structured interview guide, consistent data collection procedures, and an audit trail documenting methodological and analytical decisions. Confirmability was supported through reflexive practice and grounding interpretations in participants’ accounts. Transferability was enhanced by providing detailed descriptions of the study setting, participants, and research procedures to enable readers to determine the applicability of the findings to similar contexts. Although member checking was not feasible because participants were recruited from transient community settings, peer debriefing with the research team and maintenance of an audit trail further strengthened the credibility of the findings. Reporting followed the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines to enhance transparency and completeness [16,25].

Result

Participant Characteristics

A total of 20 adolescent girls attending secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria, participated in the study. Table 1 presents the demographic characteristics of the participants. Most participants were aged 11–14 years (55.0%) and were enrolled in senior secondary classes (75.0%). The majority lived with their parents (75.0%) and reported no health conditions limiting participation in physical activity (90.0%). All participants were of Igbo ethnicity and identified as Christians.

Overview of Thematic Findings

Reflexive thematic analysis generated four overarching themes describing adolescent girls’ experiences of physical activity participation: (1) Nature and Patterns of Physical Activity Participation, (2) Enablers of Physical Activity, (3) Barriers to Physical Activity, and (4) Recommendations for Improvement. Each theme comprised related subthemes that captured participants’ experiences across multiple levels of influence. Collectively, the findings reflected the individual, interpersonal, organisational, community, and environmental influences described in the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM).

Theme 1. Nature and Patterns of Physical Activity Participation

Participants described their physical activity as largely unstructured, routine, and necessity-driven rather than planned or undertaken intentionally for health or recreation. Domestic responsibilities, including sweeping, fetching water, washing clothes, cooking, and assisting in family businesses, constituted the primary source of daily physical activity and were generally performed out of obligation rather than deliberate exercise.

“I wash plate, fetch water, pump water and wash clothes, things like that.” (P8)

“Domestic work like sweeping, fetching water… I help my mother in her shop so I usually walk around.” (P2)

Walking also emerged as a common form of incidental physical activity, particularly during commuting to school, running errands, and other daily routines.

“Walking when I’m going to school.” (P17)

“I’m not the type that sits in one place; I just like to walk around.” (P2)

In contrast, participation in structured physical activity, such as jogging or exercise routines, was infrequent and inconsistent.

“I do exercises but not every day. Sometimes I will just jog around the whole yard.” (P9)

Although participants recognised the health benefits of physical activity, this awareness did not consistently translate into regular participation in structured exercise.

“It helps you to be fit… and helps your muscles grow.” (P2)

“The thing I’m interested in is their benefits… improvement in physical strength.” (P19)

Overall, participants’ physical activity was embedded within everyday domestic responsibilities and routine movement rather than intentional exercise, despite a general awareness of its health benefits.

Theme 2. Enablers of Physical Activity

Participants identified several factors that encouraged their participation in physical activity. These enablers operated mainly at the interpersonal and environmental levels and included support from parents, teachers, and peers, access to school facilities, and the intrinsic enjoyment derived from being physically active.

Parental support emerged as an important facilitator, with some participants describing how their parents actively encouraged or participated in physical activities with them, thereby creating opportunities for regular engagement.

“My mother will usually wake up early… and we will go for exercise.” (P9)

Support from teachers and peers also promoted participation. Teachers encouraged students during school sports activities, while peers provided social motivation that often prompted spontaneous involvement in recreational activities.

“When it’s sport time… my teachers will say we are waiting for you.” (P20)

“Whenever I see my friends playing, I just go and join them.” (P1)

Participants further highlighted the importance of supportive school environments. Access to facilities such as playgrounds and sports fields provided opportunities for participation, while personal enjoyment of physical activity served as an additional source of motivation.

“The field… the basketball team.” (P4)

“When I do it, I feel refreshed after.” (P14)

Overall, participants perceived supportive social relationships, access to appropriate facilities, and the personal enjoyment associated with physical activity as important factors that encouraged their participation.

Theme 3. Barriers to Physical Activity

Participants described multiple barriers that limited their participation in physical activity. These barriers operated across individual, interpersonal, institutional, and environmental levels, often interacting to reduce opportunities for regular engagement.

Academic demands emerged as a major constraint, with participants reporting that schoolwork, assignments, and examinations left little time for physical activity.

“I’m studying for my upcoming test, so I don’t have much time…” (P10)

Social and institutional barriers also featured prominently. Restrictive gender norms discouraged girls from participating in certain sports, particularly football, while school-based hierarchical practices limited opportunities for younger students to engage in activities alongside senior students.

“When I want to play football, they will say it’s for boys alone.” (P16)

“We cannot engage in the same sports with seniors. They will say you’re disrespecting them.” (P6)

“They might say I shouldn’t do it until I enter SS1.” (P19)

Participants also reported individual barriers, including physical discomfort during exercise and psychological factors such as boredom, low motivation, and shyness, which reduced their willingness to participate.

“Sometimes if I run for long, I’ll start having pain in my chest.” (P9)

“It’s so boring.” (P11)

“Shyness.” (P8)

Environmental challenges further constrained participation, with some participants reporting limited access to sports equipment and suitable spaces for physical activity.

“I don’t have football.” (P18)

Overall, participants perceived academic pressures, restrictive social norms, school practices, personal factors, and environmental limitations as interrelated barriers that collectively reduced their participation in physical activity.

Theme 4. Recommendations for Improving Physical Activity Participation

Participants proposed several strategies to enhance physical activity participation among adolescent girls. Their recommendations centred on strengthening school-based opportunities, promoting equitable participation, improving access to facilities and resources, and increasing motivation through education and incentives.

Many participants emphasised the need for schools to provide more structured and regular opportunities for physical activity by incorporating dedicated periods for sports and exercise into the school timetable.

“Make out a particular day for activities like sports.” (P2)

“Physical activity should be introduced in schools.” (P4)

Participants also advocated for more inclusive school environments by eliminating gender discrimination and school-based hierarchical practices that restricted participation.

“There should be equality in school and no discrimination.” (P8)

Improving access to sports facilities, equipment, and trained personnel was considered essential for increasing opportunities for participation.

“Providing facilities like gyms and fitness coaches.” (P10)

In addition, participants suggested that health education, positive encouragement, and incentives could motivate adolescents to become more physically active. They further recommended tailoring activities to accommodate different abilities so that all students could participate comfortably.

“There should be more rewards for physical activity.” (P1)

“Telling people the importance of doing physical activity.” (P7)

“If they reduce it a bit, everybody can be able to do that.” (P9)

Overall, participants advocated for a comprehensive approach that combines supportive school policies, equitable opportunities, improved facilities, health education, and motivational strategies to promote physical activity among adolescent girls.

Discussion

This study explored the nature and patterns of physical activity participation, the factors influencing participation, and strategies for improving physical activity among adolescent girls in Enugu State, Nigeria. Overall, physical activity was largely embedded within routine domestic responsibilities and incidental movement rather than structured exercise. Participation was facilitated by parental support, teacher encouragement, peer influence, and access to school facilities, but constrained by academic demands, restrictive gender norms, school hierarchy, psychological factors, and environmental limitations. Participants also highlighted the need for structured school-based programmes, equitable participation, improved facilities, and health education. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that physical activity participation is shaped by interacting individual, interpersonal, organisational, community, and environmental influences, consistent with the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) [26,27].

Nature and Patterns of Physical Activity Participation

Physical activity among adolescent girls in Enugu State was predominantly unstructured, routine, and necessity-driven, occurring mainly through domestic chores and routine walking rather than intentional or recreational exercise. Although participants engaged in regular movement through household responsibilities and daily commuting, these activities were performed primarily out of necessity rather than to improve health or physical fitness. This finding highlights the distinction between routine movement and health-enhancing physical activity and may partly explain why many adolescent girls fail to achieve recommended physical activity levels despite being physically active in their daily lives [3,4].

These findings are consistent with studies from Sub-Saharan Africa and other low- and middle-income countries, where adolescents, particularly girls, accumulate most of their physical activity through domestic work and active transportation rather than organised sport or recreational exercise [4,5,6]. Similarly, Nigerian studies have consistently reported low participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among adolescent girls [7,8,9,10]. The present study extends this evidence by showing how routine domestic responsibilities may reduce opportunities for structured physical activity.

Although participants recognised the health benefits of physical activity, this awareness did not consistently translate into regular participation. This finding supports previous evidence that knowledge alone is insufficient to promote sustained physical activity and that factors such as self-efficacy, enjoyment, social support, and access to opportunities are critical determinants of participation [2,28]. These findings suggest that interventions should combine health education with supportive environments that encourage enjoyable and accessible physical activity.

Enablers of Physical Activity Participation

This study identified parental support, teacher encouragement, peer influence, access to school facilities, and intrinsic enjoyment as key facilitators of physical activity participation among adolescent girls. These findings reinforce the importance of supportive social and environmental contexts in promoting active lifestyles, consistent with the Socio-Ecological Model [26,27].

Parents, teachers, and peers played complementary roles in encouraging participation by providing motivation, opportunities, and positive reinforcement. These findings are consistent with previous studies identifying family support, peer relationships, and supportive school environments as important determinants of physical activity during adolescence [28,29,30].

Access to school facilities further encouraged participation, while enjoyment emerged as an important intrinsic motivator. Previous studies similarly report that adolescents are more likely to engage in physical activity when safe recreational spaces and enjoyable opportunities are available [31,32]. Together, these findings suggest that effective interventions should strengthen supportive social networks while ensuring schools provide safe, accessible, and enjoyable environments for regular physical activity.

Barriers to Physical Activity Participation

This study identified multiple barriers to physical activity participation among adolescent girls, including academic demands, restrictive gender norms, school hierarchy, psychological factors, physical discomfort, and environmental constraints. These findings indicate that physical activity behaviour is influenced by interacting organisational, sociocultural, and environmental factors, consistent with the Socio-Ecological Model [26,27].

Academic demands were a major barrier, with participants reporting that schoolwork and examinations left little time for physical activity. Similar findings have been reported among Nigerian adolescents, where academic achievement often takes precedence over participation in recreational activities [8,12].

Restrictive gender norms also limited participation, particularly in sports perceived as being appropriate for boys. Previous studies have similarly shown that sociocultural expectations discourage girls from participating in sport and reinforce gender inequalities in physical activity [11,33]. In addition, this study identified school hierarchy as a unique organisational barrier, with senior–junior relationships limiting access to sports facilities and shared activities. This finding extends previous research by demonstrating that informal school practices, beyond the availability of facilities, can influence opportunities for physical activity.

Psychological barriers, including boredom, low motivation, and shyness, together with physical discomfort during exercise, further discouraged participation. Environmental constraints, such as limited sports equipment and recreational facilities, also reduced opportunities for regular physical activity [28,31,33]. These findings highlight the need for multilevel interventions that address organisational, sociocultural, psychological, and environmental barriers rather than focusing solely on individual behaviour change.

Recommendations for Improving Physical Activity Participation

Participants recommended multilevel strategies to improve physical activity participation, including structured school-based programmes, equitable participation, improved facilities, and health education. These recommendations reflect the need for supportive environments that enable, rather than simply encourage, physically active lifestyles.

The emphasis on school-based programmes is consistent with evidence identifying schools as an ideal setting for promoting physical activity because they provide regular access to adolescents and opportunities to integrate physical activity into daily routines [1,3]. Participants also highlighted the importance of eliminating gender discrimination and school-based hierarchical practices, supporting previous Nigerian studies that advocate for inclusive school policies and equitable opportunities for participation [11,12].

Improved access to sports facilities, equipment, and trained personnel was identified as essential for increasing participation, consistent with evidence linking supportive environments to higher physical activity levels among adolescents [31]. Although participants also recommended health education and motivational strategies, the findings suggest that information alone is unlikely to produce sustained behaviour change without supportive social and physical environments [28]. Overall, these findings support a coordinated approach involving schools, families, communities, and policymakers to create environments that promote regular physical activity among adolescent girls.

Strengths and Limitations

A key strength of this study is its qualitative design, which provided rich, context-specific insights into the experiences of adolescent girls regarding physical activity participation in Enugu State, Nigeria. By exploring participants’ perspectives in depth, the study extends existing quantitative evidence and highlights contextual influences that may not be captured through survey-based research. Adherence to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) and the use of reflexive thematic analysis enhanced the transparency and rigour of the study.

However, several limitations should be acknowledged. The study was conducted among adolescent girls in a single state in southeastern Nigeria using purposive sampling, which may limit the transferability of the findings to other settings. In addition, the findings were based on self-reported experiences and may be influenced by recall or social desirability bias. Nevertheless, the use of in-depth interviews, reflexive practices, and verbatim quotations strengthened the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings.

Conclusion

This study provides qualitative insights into the factors influencing physical activity participation among adolescent girls in Enugu State, Nigeria. Physical activity was largely unstructured and embedded within domestic responsibilities and routine daily activities rather than intentional exercise. Participation was shaped by interacting individual, interpersonal, organisational, and environmental factors, with parental support, teacher encouragement, peer influence, and access to school facilities acting as important facilitators, while academic demands, gender norms, school hierarchy, psychological factors, and environmental constraints limited engagement.

The findings highlight the need for multilevel interventions that extend beyond health education to include supportive school policies, equitable opportunities for participation, improved recreational facilities, and gender-sensitive programmes. Addressing these contextual barriers will be essential for promoting sustainable physical activity participation and improving the health and well-being of adolescent girls in Nigeria and similar settings.

Author Contributions

CO conceived the study and contributed to the study design. CO, OJ, OA, and EC refined the research questions and study design. OJ and OA conducted the data collection. CO led the data analysis, with emerging codes and themes discussed and refined in collaboration with OJ, OA, EC, and KF. KF drafted the manuscript. All authors critically reviewed the manuscript, approved the final version, and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC/05/01/2008B–FWA00002458–IRB00002323). The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from parents or legal guardians of participants younger than 18 years, together with written assent from the adolescent participants before participation. Participation was voluntary, and no monetary or material incentives were provided.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank all the adolescent girls who took part in this study for generously sharing their time and experiences. The authors also appreciate the support of the parents and guardians who consented to their children’s participation.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Abbreviations

COREQ	Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research
MVPA	Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity
PA	Physical Activity
PE	Physical Education
PHE	Physical and Health Education
SEM	Socio-Ecological Model
SES	Socioeconomic Status
WHO	World Health Organization

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Table 1. Sociodemographic characteristics (N = 20).

Characteristic	N	%
Age (years)
≤10	1	5.0
11–14	11	55.0
15–19	8	40.0
School class
JSS1–JSS3	5	25.0
SS1–SS3	15	75.0
Living with parents
Yes	15	75.0
No	5	25.0
Health condition limiting physical activity
Yes	2	10.0
No	18	90.0
Ethnicity
Igbo	20	100.0
Religion
Christianity	20	100.0

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