Anthropometric evaluation and significance of waist circumference, hip circumference and waist-hip ratio among 16-25 years old females in Ede, Osun State, Nigeria

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Anthropometry of the waist and hip, which are among the most clinically relevant include waist circumference used to assess abdominal adiposity and the waist-to-hip ratio used to assess central obesity. These parameters are of importance in the assessment of non-communicable diseases which are currently serious global health burden. The study was aimed at evaluating the waist and hip anthropometry among the female Yorubas between 16-25 years in Ede, Osun State, Nigeria and elucidating their significance. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study involved 120 undergraduate female students in Ede, Osun State, Nigeria, aged between 16 to 25 years, randomly selected to participate in the study. The waist circumference and the hip circumference were measured using the standard guidelines while the waist-to-hip ratio was calculated by dividing the waist circumference by the hip circumference. The study data was statistically analyzed using the SPSS version 22. RESULTS: The average age of the subjects was 18.15 ± 1.35 years. The mean WC, HC and WHR for the study population were 78.90 ± 9.35, 98.55 ± 8.75 and 0.79 ± 0.05 respectively. In addition, the WC and HC showed significant increase with increasing age in the study population while the WHR showed no significant difference. The findings of this study further revealed similarity or variation when compared to other proximate and distant population. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study provided the reference values of the study parameters among the study population which offer immense significance during various diagnostic and clinical procedures.