Anthropometric indices of male and female Nigerians of different age groups

Abstract

The body weight (W), height (H), Quetelet index W/H2 ), and Ponderosity index (W/H3 ) of 1,040 healthy (520 male and 520 female) volunteers (age ranged from 6-80 years) from various urban and rural communities in Oyo and Osun States, Nigeria were measured. We observed that the subjects body weight, height and Quetelet index increased with chronological age uptil the third decade of life (20-29 years) when they peaked and gradually declined thereafter. The combined mean data for all ages revealed that males were significantly (p < 0.001) taller and heavier than the females. The Quetelet of index of the males were comparable (p > 0.05) to the females, but the Ponderosity index of the females were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than the males. The anthropometric normative data presented in this study will fmd useful application in bariatric practice in Nigeria. It will serve as a reference to which patients data in Oyo and Osun States can be compared.