Anthropometric Indices Associated with Disparities in Mean Blood Pressure between two Ethnic Groups in Gwagwalada, Nigeria

Background: Several studies have demonstrated the association between the development of hypertension and elevated indices of overweight and obesity. The Fulani people are considered to have genetic origin comprising West African, North Africa, and Arabian descent while the Gbagyi people are of the Benue-Congo linguistic family indigenous to the Nigerian FCT. Whereas the Fulani are generally slender the Gbagyi people often have more sturdy appearances phenotypically. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we investigated two phenotypically distinct ethnic groups resident in Northcentral Nigeria to ascertain associations between their blood pressures and anthropometric indices. Results: Hypertension was detected in 24.7% of the combined study populations. The prevalence rates for were 23.2 versus 26.3% for the Fulani and Gbagyi ethnic groups with those differences being statistically insignificant (p=0.498) However there were significant differences in the SBP of 122.15 versus 126.1 mmHg and DBP of 77.21 versus 83.16mmHg between the Fulani and Gbagyi groups respectively. Similarly, there were observed significant differences in the anthropometric measurements in the weight, Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference and Waist to Hip Ratio between the two groups. Conclusion: This study lends support to the association between higher anthropometric indices and mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures in the general population. The Fulani people had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures, associated with lighter body weight, lower body mass index, smaller, waist circumference, and lower waist to hip ratios compared to the Gbagyis