Body Composition in Relation to Economic Status Among Adult Females

This cross-sectional nature of research investigation consists of assessing nutritional status and body composition of 629 young women in the age range of 18-28 years. Mean BMI and waist hip ratio was revealed 20.3±3.4 and 0.83±0.05, respectively. Fat per cent showed an increasing trend in accordance with income slab. A decreasing trend was observed for fat free mass (%) and total body water (%) in relation to income range. Mean observations for fat (%) have been found to be 21.27±6.55, 22.74±6.77 and 23.91±6.86 at three corresponding income ranges. FFM (%) and fat (%) had significant difference (p<0.01) at 1 per cent level for the groups viz., low income group-middle income group and middle income group-high income group. Anthropometric characteristics such as weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, triceps, biceps, sub-scapular and sum of skin fold thickness had rising trend with advancing income ranges while height, MUAC, WHR and supra-iliac revealed no such trend. Waist circumference showed to have significant difference (p<0.05) at 5 per cent level for the groups viz., low income group-middle income group and low income group-high income group. Waist hip ratio revealed significant difference (p<0.05) at 5 per cent level for the group low income group-middle income group.