HUMAN KINETICS AND SPORTS SCIENCE

This study assessed the psychological factors that affect sports training and performance among student athletes in the University of Benin. Nine research questions were raised to guide the study. The descriptive survey research method was adopted in carrying out this study. The population of this study consists of two hundred and twenty-nine (229) student athletes. The data was collected using simple random technique and a sample size of one hundred and sixteen (116) respondents was used for the study. The research instrument used for the study was a self-constructed questionnaire. The validity of the instrument was subjected to scrutiny and the test-retest reliability technique was used to ascertain its reliability. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that psychological factors influence sport performance which include stress, tension, anxiety and aggression. The data from the study also showed that personality, motivation, emotions, attention and concentration also affect the performance of student athletes. In conclusion, student athletes agreed that psychological factors will affect sport training and performance. It is commended that these psychological factors be taken into cognizance during training and competition as they determine how the student athlete will perform.

This study was carried out to investigate the influence of transformational leadership style has on student-athletes sports achievement in NUGA: University of Benin student-athletes as a case study. In order to carry out the study, three research questions were raised and one hypothesis formulated which was tested at 0.05 level of significance. The descriptive survey research design was used for this study. The population of the study comprised 638 undergraduate student athletes in the University of Benin who train daily at the various sporting facilities within the UNIBEN Ugbowo main campus. The data was collected using simple random technique and a sample size of 200 undergraduate student-athletes was derived. The research instrument used for the study was a self-structured questionnaire. The validity of the instrument was subjected to scrutiny and the Cronbach alpha method of reliability technique was used to ascertain its reliability. The correlation coefficient computed was 0.76 indicating that the instrument was reliable. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages and means, while Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypothesis. From the Results, the current study indicates that student-athletes’ performances are influenced by the transformational leadership style of sports administrators to a high extent and significant differences were found to exist among male and female student-athletes as well as across the different age groups of student athletes as regards the influence of transformational leadership style of sports administrators on their sports performance. It was recommended among others therefore, that sports administrators practice transformational leadership style to achieve the best performance for student-athletes and it is necessary to create awareness among sports stakeholders in Nigeria about the importance of transformational leadership style of sports administrators in Universities.

This study was carried out to find out Keep-fit participants'perception of the benefits of weight loss drugs to participants in Benin metropolis.Three research questions were raised,while two hypotheses were formulated and tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The study utilized a descriptive survey research design.The population of this study was made up of 549 keep-fit participants in Benin metropolis.The simple random sampling technique was used in selecting a sample size of 275 participants,which constituted 50 percent of the population.The test instrument for the study was a questionnaire titled "Keep-Fit Participants'Perception of the Benefits of Weight Loss Drugs Questionnaire (KPBWLDQ)". Data was analyzed using percentages,mean and standard deviation,and Pearson correlation statistics tested at 0.05 level of significance.
The findings of the study based on the research questions raised and hypotheses formulated showed the following:there were some prevailing attitudes of keep-fit participants towards weight loss drugs use,such as;fear of its side effects,likelihood of been detrimental to health, belief that its solely for obesed individuals and those who upon dieting/exercise fail to lose weight,uncertainty about drugs efficacy as to weight reduction,and so on;some factors influence the consideration or avoidance of weight loss drugs among keep fit participants/enthusiasts,such as being more effective than diet/exercise,rapid results,its safety,convenient to use,and so on;keep fit enthusiasts consider the benefits and inherent risks linked with the use of weight loss drugs in their health and fitness journeys;there is no significant relationship between keep fit participants'attitudes towards weight loss drugs and their engagement in structured fitness regimens;there is a significant relationship between the decision to consider or avoid weight loss drugs and the factors influencing individuals dedicated to fitness.
It was concluded that the prevailing attitude of keep-fit participants towards weight loss drug use should be sustained as well as the factors influencing the consideration or avoidance of weight loss drugs.These are coupled with keep-fit enthusiasts considering the benefits and risks associated with the use of weight loss drugs so as to ensure their safety.It was recommended that Keep-fit participants should be informed as to the benefits and inherent risks linked with the use of weight loss drugs in their health and fitness journeys/lifestyle;and also, there should be targeted interventions to enhance public awareness and safe usage of weight loss drugs,amongst others.

This study was carried out to investigate the knowledge and perception of pregnant women in
Ikphoba-Okha LGA towards the benefits of exercise in pregnancy. A total of two hundred (200)
respondents who are pregnant women were selected for this study.
A descriptive survey research design was used. Instrument used for data collection was a
questionnaire which was developed by the researcher. It was validated by two (2) experts in the
field of Human Kinetics and Sports Science. The simple count, frequency percentage was used to
analyse the demographic information of students. Mean and standard deviation was used to
analyse the response of the respondents to the research questions raised.
Findings of this study was able to basically discover that the respondents are adequately aware
of the benefits of exercise during pregnancy and they have great and positive perception towards
the benefits of exercise during pregnancy. The respondents were also discovered to participate
so well in exercise during pregnancy although few of them signified that they don’t regularly get
involved in exercise during pregnancy. Some factors were identified to influence how pregnant
women in the study get involved in exercise and these factors include lack of motivation, level of
maternal health education, lack of time and how available the facilities for exercise are. Hence,
it is important to declare that these factors must be specifically assessed and addressed in the
study to ensure and encourage the involvement of pregnant women in regular exercise.