Waist to Height Ratio a reliable Indicator of Obesity in Igbos of Enugu Metropolis

Background: Obesity could be generalized or truncal/android and most of the pathologies linked to obesity is with the android obesity. There is multiplicity of indices for measuring obesity hence the need for simple but sensitive and accurate index of assessing obesity. Objective: the aim was to determine the index that is simple, accurate and sensitive in detecting obesity. Method: A cross-sectional community-based descriptive survey was carried out in Enugu Metropolis. Multistage sampling procedures were used to select participants using the World Health Organization STEPS instrument. Ethical approval and consents were duly and respectively obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Enugu state university of science and technology Enugu. The data obtained were coded and analyzed into frequencies, percentages and mean using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17. Chi-square (x) test was used to compare categorical variables for associations while multi-nominal logistic regression was used to examine correlates. Statistical significance is set at p< 0.05 and 95% confidence interval. Result: A total of 482 participants were recruited; of which, 33.2% and 66.8% were males and females respectively. By BMI, 95(19.7%) were obese; 180(37.3%) were considered obese by WHR; 94(19.5%) were obese by %body fat; while 214(44.4%) were obese by WC and 230(47.7%) were obese by WHtR. Conclusion: The superiority of WHtR in detecting obesity is clearly demonstrated in this study and this can easily be applied in our clinics.