Body circumference parameters predict body mass index in children aged 2-5 years

Body circumference parameters have become simple screening measurements that can be used as an indicator of body fat distribution to detect pediatric obesity. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships that exist between body circumference parameters of head, neck, arm, forearm, waist, hip, mid-thigh, front-thigh and body mass index (BMI). A total of forty randomly selected children with the mean age of 2.97 years participated in this study. Stature, body mass, and body circumferences were measured according to the protocol of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropmetry (ISAK). All the participants’ parents completed informed consent forms before their children could be allowed to participate in the study. There was a significant correlation between the hip and neck circumferences and BMI. Regression analyses revealed that BMI was best predicted by the combined effect of neck and hip circumferences. Combined effects of hip and neck circumferences were significant predictors of BMI in children. Address for correspondence: Dr. Sunday O. Onagbiye Department of Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7353, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa Phone: 021 959 2409/2350, Mobile: +27 (0) 60 484 0456, E-mail: onagbiyesunday@gmail.com INTRODUCTION The prevalence of pediatric obesity has increased in the Western world, and has become a great concern in the unindustrialised and recently industrialised countries (Blasingame 2017; Sahoo et al. 2015; Maffeis et al. 2001). Pediatric obesity and overweight on the other hand have become public health issues (Maffeis et al. 2001). The main likely cause of pediatric obesity is the enhancement in the standards of living, technology advancements and automations, nutritional variations, other lifestyle variations such as smoking, alcohol abuse, and insufficient physical activity levels (IPAL) (Kaur and Walia 2007). These have led to an increase in body weight and obesity for many, and have reduced the quality of life (QoL) (Onagbiye et al. 2016) in both children and adults. Obesity and overweight in children is associated with risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, and require careful observations (Magalhães et al. 2014). It does not only affect the children physically, but also has a big negative impact on the personal and psychosocial life (Maffeis et al. 2001). In the United States, the medical care cost of obesity was high. The medical care cost of obesity was estimated to be USD 147 billion dollar (Finkenstein et al. 2009). In Nigeria, overweight and obesity is rapidly increasing among the youths. As stated in the study of AkaroloAnthony et al. (2014), the data from the World Health Organization revealed that the prevalence of overweight and obesity increased by approximately twenty percent, between the year 2002 and year 2010 in Nigeria. Furthermore, obesity is an ailment that is frequently challenging in terms of treatment (Maffeis et al. 2001). Therefore, aiming at early detection and proffering intervention could reduce the difficulties in later life (Magalhães et al. 2014; Wadden 1999; Maffeis et al. 2001). Increased levels of BMI have known to be a risk factor for many illnesses and disorders (Booth et al. 2000). Fat deposit in excess around abdominal area is associated with the metabolic disorders, while authors recommend measures Anthropologist 30(2): 147-152 (2017) 10.1080/09720073.2017. 1377885 DOI: 148 S. O. ONAGBIYE, M. MULUBWA AND M. YOUNG of abdominal adiposity as the preferred measures (Vanltallie 1998; Booth et al. 2000). On the other hand, it was reported that waist circumference (WC) was the utmost practical and precise assessment of abdominal obesity that could be used in public health research (Booth et al. 2000). Meanwhile, BMI and WC could show relatively diverse types of adiposity, and should not be expected that they are associated (Booth et al. 2000). In addition, both BMI and WC were indirect assessment of body adiposity, which stands as prediction of health risks (Ojoawo et al. 2014). A study had also shown that apart from WC, there are other body circumference parameters such as the circumference of the neck that was understood to be associated with the BMI (Saka et al. 2014). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between BMI and body circumferences, and to find out which of the body circumference parameters have higher prediction power among children aged 2-5 year old.