LACK OF RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS (SSS) IN EZZA SOUTH L.G.A OF EBONYI STATE.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Man as a gregarious being moves closer to his fellow men to share knowledge, live together in groups, share ideas and opinions in their various groups as well as recreate themselves, also entertain themselves in a group after hard day’s work, these activities are needed to relieve him of worries, fatigue, tension, physical and physiological needs. An eighty seven years old physical educator who still played badminton claimed that recreation has been very useful as a secret of his good health despite the old age (Onifade, 2012).

Recreation is a deviation from ones normal activities to relax, it is an activity voluntary engage in during leisure and motivated by the personal satisfaction derived from participation (Onifade, 2012). There is fairly consistent evidence that suggests that adolescents are becoming more obese and more sedentary because of their lack of participation in recreational activities.

In his own definition, Bucher (2003) defined recreation as socially acceptable worthwhile activities in which a person voluntarily participates during leisure hours and through which he or she has opportunities to develop physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. The benefits of participating in recreational activities are numerous and well documented in the literature. Dubbert (2002) highlighted that recreational participation reduces obesity, maintains healthy joints, controls pain, builds stronger bone mass as well as improve endurance, strength and balance. Furthermore, recreational participation improves the functioning of the heart and the ability of the cardio respiratory system to carry oxygen to blood vessels and also improves metabolism – the process by which food is converted to energy and tissue is built (Insel and Roth, 2006). According to Insel and Roth (2006), being physically fit makes it easier to do everyday tasks. Regular recreational participation provides reserve strength for emergencies and helps people to look and feel good. In the long term, physically fit individuals are less likely to develop heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other degenerative diseases (Insel and Roth, 2006).

LACK OF RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS (SSS) IN EZZA SOUTH L.G.A OF EBONYI STATE.