Anthropometric measurements and amounts of body fat and serum cholesterol in samples of three Nigerian populations

Abstract

1. Skinfold thicknesses, arm circumferences, heights, weights and serum cholesterol levels were determined in ninety-one university students, 207 soldiers and 102 out-patients, all male subjects. Some of these measurements were used to determine the amount of body fat, Quetelet's index and mid-arm muscle circumference 2. Quetelet's indices and body-fat values obtained were similar to previously reported values for lean or moderately built males 3. Serum cholesterol levels were generally low, with means ranging from 3·98 mmol/1 for 18- to 29-year-old students to 5·19 mmol/l for 40- to 69-year-old out-patients 4. The mean values for triceps skinfold thickness, the amount of body fat and serum cholesterol levels for healthy adults obtained in this study are probably normal for northern Nigerian populations 5. There was a significant correlation between the amount of body fat and values for triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses, Quetelet's index and body-weight for all adults. The correlation between muscle circumference and the amount of body fat was significant for all subjects except adult soldiers.