The Relationship between Skinfold Thickness and Body Mass Index in Estimating Body Fat Percentage on Bowen University Students

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a weight-to-height ratio used as a quick and easy guide to obesity classification. BMI of 30 or greater is indicative of excess body fat and has been labelled as increasing the risk of degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Body fat percentage is also assessed through skinfold thickness measurement.. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of underweight and obese individuals, and determine the body fat percentage on male and female students of Bowen University, Nigeria. 150 male and 150 female students aged between 16-25 years were randomly selected. Their weight, height, triceps skinfold, abdominal skinfold, and subscapular skinfold were measured. Male students had a lower BMI (21.52&plusmn;3.16 kg/m2 versus 24.47&plusmn;22.99 kg/m2), and body fat percentage (11.225&plusmn;3.163 versus 29.97&plusmn;11.733) than the female subjects. The male and female subjects had a mean weight of 66.56&plusmn;10.29 kg and 61.16&plusmn;11.83 kg; height 176.05&plusmn;7.73 cm and 163.93&plusmn;6.54 cm, respectively. There were significant differences in all the physical characteristics (P< 0.05) except for BMI and age. Our data showed that differences exist between body composition variables of male and female studied subjects. The body fat percentage was higher in females in comparison to males who also had lower mass. Further studies in diverse populations in developing countries should help to clarify ethnic differences in body composition, and produce functional reference standards.