Biacromial and Biiliac Diameters in a Young Adult Southeastern Nigerian Population

Abstract

Reference standards of anthropometric measurements for any given population form the basis on which populations can be compared with one another. Relationship between body physique and certain diseases has long been recognized. The aim of the study was to provide normal values of biacromial and biiliac diameters for a young adult southeastern Nigerian population. A cross sectional study of 402 male and 268 female students of University of Nigeria Enugu Campus was done. Their ages ranged from 20 to 28. The mean values of biacromial diameter in males and females were 40.1 1.8cm and 36.3 1.8cm respectively. The corresponding values for biiliac diameter were 25.5+1.3cm and 25.9+1.3cm respectively. Males had significantly larger values of biacromial diameter than females while females had significantly larger values of biiliac diameter than males, p <0.001. The subjects had larger mean values of biacromial diameter than most of the Caucasian and Asian populations. On the contrary the mean values of biiliac diameter were lower than the Caucasian and Asian values.