Year: 2011 Volume: 7 Issue: c

Abstract: This study examined the social factors predicting recreational sports participation among academic staff of tertiary institutions in Kwara and Kogi States, Nigeria. It employed the use of descriptive survey design, simple random sampling technique with the fish bowl method adopted to select 12 government owned tertiary institutions. One thousand six hundred twenty (1,625) respondents were selected through stratified sampling technique. The instrument used was a self-developed and validated Recreational Sports Questionnaire on Likert Scale Type. Multiple Regression Analysis was the major statistical tools used for the data analysis. It was revealed based on the hypothesis tested at 0.05 alpha levels that the variable of health status, skill level was not significant. However, variables on geographical feature and occupational demand were found to be significant predictors of recreational sports participation of academic staff. Authors recommend that the importance of recreation on health and other aspects of life should be emphasized by university authorities to promote efficiency and productivity of academic staff. It was recommended that the workload of academic staff should be redesigned to give room for participation in recreational sports after the day’s work. The more the occupation demands, the less the opportunity to participate in recreational programs.