Social and physical environmental correlates of movement behaviors, body weight status, and well-being among adolescents in Nigeria: a youth-centered participatory action project narrative review

The epidemic of non-communicable diseases related to lifestyle movement behaviors is rising rapidly in Africa, with adolescents increasingly affected by physical inactivity, excessive sedentary behavior, poor sleep, being overweight or obese, as well as mental health challenges. While evidence supports the importance of social and physical environmental factors in improving adolescents’ health, understanding these issues among African adolescents remains limited. Insights from evidence from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which are often underrepresented in research on environmental influences on movement behaviors and health, may be relevant to certain Western contexts, especially those in resource-constrained settings. This narrative review aims to synthesize findings from available literature on social and physical environmental correlates of movement behaviors, body weight status, and well-being among adolescents in Nigeria, an LMIC in Africa. We searched electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and African Journals Online, for original research articles published prior to January 2025 on socioenvironmental factors and movement behaviors, body weight status, and well-being among Nigerian adolescents (aged 10–20 years). Each study underwent screening and data extraction by two reviewers. Study quality was assessed with the modified Downs and Black checklist, and data were analyzed using narrative synthesis. A total of 25 articles met the inclusion criteria, all of which were cross-sectional studies. The review suggested that social class, school settings, peer relationships, family structure, electronic device use in the bedroom, neighborhood walkability features, availability of open recreational spaces, and urbanization were important socioenvironmental factors related to multiple movement behaviors and health outcomes among Nigerian adolescents. Some of these relationships were modified by gender and socioeconomic status. The evidence from this narrative review highlighted the need for more prospective and intervention studies to understand how environmental factors may promote healthier movement behaviors, enhance health, and overall well-being among Nigerian adolescents. The results could be used by researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders, including school administrators, urban planners, health professionals, parents, and community organizations who are interested in how social and physical environments contribute to adolescents’ movement behaviors, health, and well-being in resource-constrained settings.