Age-Related Variation in Body Fat Distribution among Male Undergraduate Medical Students in Lagos

Human body fat distribution is related to several variables of clinical importance. Systematic information on age variations in regional adiposity amongst young adult Nigerians is scarce in the literature. This study investigated the pattern of age-related body fat distribution amongst medical students in the urban Lagos area. Anthropometric measurements including body mass, stature, waist circumference, maximum gluteal circumference, triceps, and subscapular skinfolds were taken from 245 volunteer male undergraduate medical students aged 16 to 27 years, selected by systematic random sampling, were used to derive the following body fat indices: subscapular/triceps ratio (STSR), centripetal fat (CPR) skin folds ratio, waist-hip ratio and conicity index (CI). Data was analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics and presented as mean, median, and standard deviation using SPSS version 14. P values were set at 0.05. The study observed statistically significant and persistent age differences in the estimated indices of central fat distribution, even after controlling for the BMI, suggesting that BMI had limited influence on central fat distribution. The study provided evidence that there is a significant upward trend of increased central adiposity and fat distribution with increasing age in male undergraduates. Such a trend of enhanced fat accumulation in the central region of the body may have serious health implications for this population.