Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Hip Ratio (WHR) Among Young Adults of Delta State Origin

Obesity is known worldwide as a challenger and its prevalence is rising in both developed and developing countries and Nigeria is not an exception. To this end there is need to know if obesity is prevalence among young adults of Delta State indigenes resident in Abraka. One thousand young adults between the ages of 16-35years were used for this study. Their weight, height, hip and waist circumference were measured and body mass index (BMI) as well as waist hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. The prevalence of total and abdominal obesity was determined with standard classification recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). Mean, standard deviation, simple percentage and F-test (ANOVA) were used to analyze data using SPSS version 10. Resultsshow that females are more vulnerable to total and abdominal obesity than males. The result suggests that waist hip ratio (WHR) may be a better predictive tool for obesity in females than males. In conclusion,this study showed low prevalence of obesity among young adults of Delta State indigenes residing in Abraka. The study also showed that, females are more vulnerable to total and abdominal obesity than males.