Abstract

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The study looked into how group-based jogging changed centripetal fat and anthropometric index among adolescent students in Zing, Taraba State, Nigeria. A onegroup pretest/post-test design was adopted for this study. Purposive sampling techniques were employed to select 30 adolescent students from Government Junior Secondary School Zing, aged 11 to 15, to participate in the study. A body composition monitor device, a stature metre for height, and a flexible tape metre were utilised in this study to investigate the effect of group-based jogging on centripetal fat and anthropometric index in adolescent students. All of the adolescent students chosen satisfied the study's inclusion requirements and were all assigned to group-based jogging at the baseline of pretest values. The exercise programme lasted between 38 and 44 minutes and ended with a cooldown session. All the exercise sessions were conducted between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. on alternate days; Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for eight (8) consecutive weeks. The intensity of the training was maintained between 40 and 45% of the estimated Heart Rate maximum for 2 weeks and was increased as the training progressed to 45–55% of the estimated Heart Rate maximum after 3–8 weeks of the exercise. The collected data were analysed using the statistical package SPSS version 20, and the student's independent t-test was used at a 0.05 alpha level. The results of the study revealed that group-based jogging had a significant effect on visceral fat (P = 0.000) and waist circumference (P = 0.000). Based on the results of this study, it was therefore concluded that group-based jogging for 8 weeks had a significant effect on the centripetal fat and anthropometric index, thus reducing the visceral fat, and waist circumference, among adolescent students in Zing, Taraba State, Nigeria. It was recommended that the school management should encourage adolescent students to participate in jogging for 30–60 minutes, at least 3 days per week, for the prevention, control, and management of centripetal fat and anthropometric index among adolescent students in Zing, Taraba State, Nigeria.

Keywords: Jogging, Centripetal Fat, Anthropometric Index, Students, Zing, Taraba State