Waist Circumference, Waist Hip Ratio and Body Mass Index in Female Undergraduates of a Tertiary Institution in Nigeria: a Cross-sectional Study

Purpose: Obesity and overweight are associated with variety of conditions detrimental to health, wellbeing and longevity. Waist circumference and waist to hip ratio are indicators of risk of central adiposity while body mass index is an indicator of overall risk of obesity. Body mass index has been traditionally used as a standard for determining overweight and obesity. This study was designed to determine the relationship between waist circumference, waist to hip ratio and body mass index among female undergraduates of a Nigerian University. Also prevalence of obesity based on waist circumference, waist to hip ratio and body mass index was explored. Methods: Three hundred and sixty four apparently healthy subjects were recruited for the study using a cross-sectional simple random sampling technique. Waist circumference, waist to hip ratio and body mass index were determined using standard methods. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the physical characteristics of the participants. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relationship between waist circumference, waist to hip and body mass index. Results: The mean age, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio and body mass index of the participants were 22.5 (±2.20) years, 79.36 (±10.4) cm, 0.81 (±0.06), and 22.48 (±4.50) kg/m2 respectively. The prevalence of obesity based on body mass index, waist circumference and waist to hip ratio was found to be 6.3%, 17.6% and 25.5% respectively. Significant relationship was found between waist circumference and body mass index (r = 0.81; p< 0.001), and between waist to hip ratio and body mass index (r = 0.25; p< 0.001). Conclusions: Body mass index was related to waist circumference, as well as to waist to hip ratio. The prevalence of obesity based on waist to hip ratio was highest among female undergraduates in a Nigerian university. Awareness on the importance of waist to hip ratio as indicator of risk of obesity should be created among female undergraduates in Nigerian Universities and by extension among the women population in general.