STUDY OF WAIST HIP RATIO–AN INDEX FOR CHILDHOOD NUTRITION IN SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN

Dr Sunil Kumar B M; Tejaswi Manubolu; Dr Chandrika Rao

Volume : V, Issue : XII, December - 2015

STUDY OF WAIST HIP RATIO–AN INDEX FOR CHILDHOOD NUTRITION IN SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN

Dr Sunil Kumar B M, Tejaswi Manubolu, Dr Chandrika Rao

Abstract :

Objectives: 1. To study the Waist–Hip Ratio (WHR) in school going children in urban Bangalore. 2. To correlate WHR with other anthropometric indices including BMI and body fat percentage Methods: Study was a cross–sectional study carried out on school going children in urban Bengaluru between the ages of 6–13 years. Their anthropometric data, Waist Hip Ratio (WHR) and BMI were calculated and analysed for nutritional status in the form of total body fat %, presence of obesity and malnutrition. Results: A total of 347 students were the study subjects, of which 159 (45.8) were girls and 188 (54.2) were boys. 57.6 % were in the age group of 6 to 9 years, 42.4 % were in the 10–13 years age. The mean height for boys and girls was 123 centimetres, and 122 cms respectively, the mean WHR for boys was 0.860 and it was 0.865 for girls. Body fat % for boys was 13.71 and it was 16.99 for girls. The mean BMI for boys was 14.31 and for girls 14.32 respectively. Conclusion: There were no children in the high body fat % suggestive of obesity; all the students were either in the normal or thin range of total body fat %. Even though obesity is increasing all over the world, under–nutrition remains the main problem of our school going children.WHR was either normal or low in the study group of children.