Pattern and Determinants of Waist Circumference Percentiles Amongst Apparently Healthy Adolescents In Uyo South-South Nigeria: A Descriptive Study

Despite the usefulness of waist circumference in determination of central adiposity, there is no national reference values for Nigerian adolescents. This study therefore aims to give a representation of the waist circumference percentile values amongst adolescents in Uyo, South- South Nigeria. It was a cross sectional community based study, done between December 2017 1nd April 2019, amongst adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. The waist circumference of the adolescents was measured mid way between the iliac crest and the lower border of the last palpable rib. The mean waist circumference for males was 42.95 plus or minus(use the symbol) 3.62, while that of females was 45.01 plus or minus 13.99. There was a significant association between gender, age, socioeconomic class and waist circumference. It is recommended that waist circumference should be routinely measured amongst adolescents because of its correlation with visceral adiposity.