Journal of Biology, Agriculture and Healthcare www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-3208 (Paper) ISSN 2225-093X (Online) Vol.5, No.16, 2015 96 Comparison of Body Mass Index between Pubertal and Prepubertal Females in Okrika Opuogulaya Richard 1* , Ekiyor Tari 1 , Aisueni Florence 1 , Richard Alice 2 1 School of Applied Sciences, Rivers State Polytechnic, P.M.B. 20, Bori. Nigeria. 2 State School, Ogan-Ama, Okrika. Nigeria. Abstract This research work is aimed at examining the effect of pubertal development on body fat in females. 920 female students drawn from 5 secondary schools in Okrika of Rivers State in Nigeria were used as respondents. 460 of these are pubertal while the other 460 are prepubertal. With the aid of a questionnaire, their pubertal or prepubertal status; i.e. presence of pubic hair and/or breast bud, commencement of menstruation was gotten. Their height and weight was also gotten. BMI was calculated for prepubertal and pubertal females and compared statistically. The mean BMI of pubertal females, 19.7, is arithmetically higher than that of prepubertal females, 17.7 and the difference between the mean BMI is very statistically significant (P<0.05). For each age, the BMI of pubertal females was found to be higher than that of prepubertal females and as exemplified by the age groups 12 years and 13 years, the differences between the mean BMI for each age was found to be significant (P<0.05). Irrespective of the pathway the respondents took to puberty, adrenarche or thelarche, the BMI of pubertal females were significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of prepubertal females. BMI significantly (P<0.05) increased with progression in pubertal development. The BMI of pubertal females is greater than the BMI of prepubertal females: hence pubertal females have greater body fat than prepubertal females. Females that have reached puberty and are undergoing pubertal development should be careful not to give in wholly to weight reduction programmes. Keywords: BMI, Pubertal, Prepubertal, Body fat. 1.0 Introduction The aspect of science which deals with the measurement of size, weight and proportions of the human body is known as anthropometry (Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 2000). Measurement of the human body arises due to extensive variations existing within human population. The differences in characteristics shown by humans among several others include weight, linear dimension, shape and colour (Taylor, Green & Stout, 1997). Anthropometry deals with the physical form of variation. Most times, single anthropometric parameters do not give a circumspect view of the body form. For this reason, it is common to find two or more anthropometric measurements that correlate to form an index. Somatometry is an aspect of anthropometry and deals with the measurement of the dimensions of the entire body (Miller-Keane Encyclopaedia…, 2003). Height, weight and body circumferences are important parameters of somatometry. Height and weight have been used to alternatively measure body fat. Body mass index (BMI), which is the body weight divided by the square of the height, is a convenient and reliable indicator of body fat (Ganong, 2003). BMI was originally developed in 1832 by Adolphe Quetelet (Eknoyan, 2008). Expressed mathematically, BMI = Weight (Kg)/Height 2 (m 2 ). BMI is considered an alternative to direct measure of body fat and a high BMI value can be an indicator of high body fat (Centre for Disease Control, CDC). The international classification of adult (20 years and above) status according to BMI is; Classification/Category BMI value (Kg/m²) Underweight < 18.50 Normal 18.50-24.99 Overweight ≥ 25 Obese ≥ 30 (WHO: Global Database of BMI) brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by International Institute for Science, Technology and Education (IISTE): E-Journals