Healthy Lifestyle Practices and Physical Wellbeing among Regional Football Players in Bamenda II Municipality, Cameroon: A Convergent Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

Background: Regional footballers may face constraints in nutrition, hydration, sleep and recovery, and substance-use prevention. This study investigated associations between healthy lifestyle practices and self-reported physical wellbeing among football players in Bamenda II Municipality. Methods: A convergent parallel mixed-methods design combined a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 76 players from three clubs with semi-structured interviews with six coaches and team personnel. Descriptive statistics and regression were complemented by thematic analysis. Results: The four-predictor model explained 53.3% of variation in reported physical wellbeing (R² = .533; adjusted R² = .507; F = 20.258; dissertation-reported p = .001). In the mutually adjusted model, the substance-use scale was associated with wellbeing (B = .497, p = .001), whereas nutrition (p = .088), hydration (p = .058), and sleep/recovery (p = .077) did not reach the .05 threshold. Interviewees described carbohydrate-heavy diets, inconsistent hydration and sleep, and occasional alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Lifestyle measures were jointly associated with self-reported wellbeing in this sample, but cross-sectional data do not establish effects or causation. The direction of the substance-use scale requires verification before interpreting its coefficient as consumption or avoidance.