Assessment of adiposity status in young adult Nigerians using different indices of adiposity

Abstract

The increasing burden of obesity led us to investigate the levels of different adiposity indices and prevalence of excess adiposity. We recruited 200 young adults; 92 (46.0%) males and 108 (54.0%) females, aged 15-35 years. We investigated the levels of different adiposity indices and the prevalence of excess adiposity following standard anthropometric measurements needed for determination of adiposity indices. Statistical significance was fixed at p < 0.05. Mean values of body mass index (BMI), body adiposity index (BAI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were higher in females while waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference (WC) were higher in males. Based on BMI, overweight was more prevalent in males (29.0%: 29.3% vs 28.7%) while obesity was more prevalent in females (11.5%: 16.7% vs 5.4%). Additionally, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was significantly higher in females based on WC, WHR and WHtR but significantly higher in males based on BAI. Generally, mean values of adiposity indices and the prevalence of overweight and obesity increased with age. The overall high prevalence and female preponderance of excess adiposity in the population demand urgent public health action.