Investigating the socio-ecological model factors influencing physical activity and health promotion among early adolescents in the southern parts of Ethiopia

Background: Currently the increased level of physical inactivity and lack of attention to health initiatives in educational settings is a hot issue in Ethiopia and worldwide. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate socio-ecological model factors hindering the promotion of school physical activity programs among early adolescents in the Gamo Zone primary schools, in the southern part of Ethiopia. Methods: The study conducted a mixed-method design to explore the roles and perspectives of stakeholders, using semi-structured interviews. Then, Thematic analysis and IBM SPSS (ver. 26) were used to analyze the data. Participants: The study purposely involved 20 respondents, aged 40.60±7.90 SD with a work experience year of 14.5±7.714 SD from in and out of schools. Results: The study found that physical activity is crucial medicine to prevent non-communicable diseases, and enhance overall health opportunities, and academic performance in school-aged early adolescents. However, issues such as inadequate physical education curriculum, lack of qualified teachers, and lack of facilities hindered the implementation of physical activity programs in the Gamo zone primary schools. Recommendation: The study put forward that collaboration of stakeholders and the school community should be a key strategy to boost physical activity in school settings. Also, further research is needed on different research methods to examine obstacles to school health initiatives.