Pattern and Prevalence of Underweight, Overweight and Obesity Among Young Adult Nigerians

Abstract

Body mass index (BMI) is an important cardiometabolic parameter. This study determined the mean BMI, pattern and prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity among young adult Nigerians. It also examined the effect of sex on pattern of distribution of BMI classes. This was cross-sectional study conducted among students of a tertiary institution. Seven hundred and two (702) students (412 males and 290 females) with age range between 18-40years participated in the study. The participants had their weights and heights recorded by standardized techniques and BMI was calculated from the weight and height. BMI was classified according to WHO reference values. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17 software. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The mean BMI was 21.89±3.07 (kg/m2). Age was positively correlated with BMI(r = 0.298, p <0.001).Significant sex differences in anthropometry were demonstrated in terms of height (t=17.880, p <0.001), weight (t =7.595, p<0.001), BMI (t = -2.483, p =0.013) and BSA (t=12.716, p <0.001). There was a significant sex difference in BMI classes recorded in this study ( χ2= 12.255, p = 0.007).The prevalence of overweight and obesity among the total participants were 14.8% and 1.3% respectively. Among the males, the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity were 9.2%, 11.2% and 1.2% respectively while among the females, the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity were 11.0%, 20.0% and 1.4% respectively. More than a quarter of the apparently healthy young adults had abnormal BMI. The study also showed that abnormal BMI (underweight, overweight and obesity) were more frequent in female than male young adult Nigerians. Health education focusing on weight adjustment measures including exercise and dietary strategies will be beneficial among young adult population.