European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

CORMIC INDEX AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN OGONILAND, RIVERS STATE

Okoh P. D. and Amadi M. A.*

ABSTRACT

Measurement of body proportion is useful not only in studying nutrition-related disorders of clinical and public health concerns such as overweight and obesity but also in determining growth patterns of individuals of a certain category, and in different populations. The aim of this study was to determine the cormic index of school children and adolescents in Ogoni, Rivers State, Nigeria. This study was a cross-sectional survey that made use of three hundred (300) randomly selected school children and adolescents in Ogoni, Rivers State between the ages of 8 - l4 years. Measurements were obtained from subjects in primary and secondary schools in Ogoniland. Standing height of subjects, the maximum distance from the floor to the vertex was measured with subjects standing erect and barefooted in anatomical position whereas sitting height, the measured distance from the vertex to the seated buttocks was measured with the subjects’ heads in natural head position. Data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS version 23.0 and presented as mean±SD. Result showed Sitting Height (69.82±3.96), Height (140.73±6.84), Subischial Leg Length (73.41±4.67) and Cormic Index (49.53±1.02). All studied parameters increased with increase in age. With the exception of subischial leg length which was higher in females, other parameters were higher in males. Correlation analysis showed a relationship between sitting height, height, subischial leg length, cormic index and age. People with relatively long lower limbs tend to have low cormic index. Variation observed in our finding could be attributed to environmental and racial variations as it has been suggested that differences between populations in body size are more likely to express the impact of environmental factors on growth than the variation in genetic potential for growth of different ethnic groups. Our finding therefore may provide an insight into the influence of age on growth and the role of body segments in body shape and growth assessments.

Keywords: cormic index, sitting height, children, subischial leg length, height, Ogoniland.