Influence of a physical activity and psychosocial intervention on risk factors associated with NCD among adolescents

Concerns pertaining to physical, physiological and psychological health and risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among adolescents have been prioritised in the agendas of international health institutions throughout the world. The necessity for living healthy lives and maintaining healthy lifestyles is often neglected in many countries, particularly in many low-income countries. Another aspect to consider is also the mental health and well-being of adolescents, as adolescents account for 16% of reports of instances of mental illness throughout the world. It has been estimated that from 10 to 20% of adolescents develop mental health problems, with more than half of the instances of mental disorders throughout the world affecting adolescents as young as 14 years of age. The global population includes approximately 1.2 billion adolescents or young peopleand in South Africa, adolescents comprise 39% of the overall population, unfortunately some undesirable forms of behaviour, such as physical inactivity, poor diet, become ingrained during adolescence. Thus, adolescents are an ideal time to promote physical and mental health behaviour. This presentation willfirstly report the prevalence of physical, physiological and psychological risk factors that are associated with NCDs among adolescents in the poorest province of South Africa.An overview of the physical activity and psychosocial intervention will be provided with reporting of the post-test and retest results. The presentation will also report associations between various factors that possibly predict NCD among adolescents and conclude with suggestions to reduce the risk factors among adolescents.

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