Body Composition Differentials in Male and Female Adolescent Secondary School Students in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background Understanding current body composition of an individual is a necessary requirement in exercise science. Body composition is the make up of the body in terms of muscle, bone, fat and other elements. It is widely suggested that there exists a marked difference in body composition between male and female of the same age bracket. The study therefore set out to establish whether difference existed in body mass index and percent body fat between male and female adolescent secondary school students in Ibadan. Two hypotheses were formulated for the study. Methods The ex post facto research design was used. The study purposively sampled 172, (87 boys and 85 girls) adolescent secondary school students in Ibadan. Data were collected using height meter, weighing scale and skinfold calliper. Results There was no significant difference between boys (X=19.94 2.35) and girls, (X=20.092.75) in Body Mass Index,), (Pgreater than0.05). While there was a significant difference between boys (X=12.854.17) and girls (X=13.623.30) in percent body fat, (P