Anthropometric Assessment of Nutritional Status of Adults in a Non-Conflict Environment of the Niger-Delta Region of Nigeria

Background of the study: Globally, lifestyle modification as a veritable tool of preventing various non-communicable diseases is a current topic in the medical world. Efforts to regulate nutrition and maintain optimal body shape and statistics are being widely encouraged. A study of anthropometric and nutritional status of adults in peaceful environments will be helpful in extrapolating its consequences in conflicts periods. This will enable adequate preventive measures to be established to enhance appropriate intervention. Objectives: To determine the socio-demographic, waist-hip ratio and body mass index of adults in a normal population. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of adults between 20 to 60 years of age was undertaken in an oil-producing non-conflict environment of Delta North senatorial district of Nigeria. The study recruited 432 eligible consented healthy adults using multistage sampling methods after ethical approvals were obtained from relevant authority and community leaders. Sociodemographic factors, blood pressure, waist-hip ratio and body mass index were determined using appropriate instruments and methods. Results: The results were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS version 18. The statistical significance was set at p˂0.05. It showed the prevalence of obesity, stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension among the subjects to be 16.7%, 13.7% and 5.3% respectively. Conclusion: The study concluded that there is a high prevalence of obesity and pre-hypertension even in rural communities. This calls for concern because these are “precursors” of serious cardiovascular diseases with its attendant high morbidity and mortality.