Somatotype distribution of schoolchildren in Port-Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria.

Abstract

This cross-sectional study involved one thousand school children aged 7 to 18 years in Port- Harcourt, Rivers State. Anthropometric variables including; height, weight, girths, bone breadths and skinfold thickness were measured and blood pressure recorded. The Heath-Carter somatotype and body size expressed in kg/m2 were obtained. Data was analysed using SPSS version 21 and XLSTAT statistical software. Results indicated the mean ages as; 12.2±2.52, 12.6±2.58, 12.4±2.56 in males, females and the entire sample respectively. Mean BMI were; 18.24±3.24, 17.64±3.12 and 18.73±3.26 for the entire sample, males and females respectively. Females were significantly taller and heavier, with significantly higher BMI than males (p<0.05).Males had relatively higher values than females for somatotype variables, except for endomorphy whereas female showed a significantly higher values in all skinfold thicknesses than males (p<0.05). The mean somatotype were; 1.7-4.1-3.5, 2.8-3.9-3.1 for males and females respectively, indicating that males lie within the ectomorphic-mesomorph while females were in the balanced mesomorphy categories. This study might represent the first documented report on the somatotype distribution for children and adolescent in the south-south region of Nigeria with particular reference to children and adolescents in Port-Hacourt.