ABSTRACT

The study was undertaken to determine Lifestyle and Anthropometric Status of Primary School Teachers in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia state. Cross sectional study design was used in this study. A structured and validated questionnaire was used to elicit information on personal, socio-economic characteristics, socio-demographic, lifestyle, dietary pattern and food frequency consumption. Information on anthropometry was also determined using standard methods. Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist-hip-ratio were calculated. Data obtained from the study were subjected to statistical analysis, using statistical package for social sciences version 23. The results of the different variables collected revealed that 30.5% of the respondents were within the ages of 30-32 years. Information on educational status showed that 7.6% of the respondents had secondary education. Information on the lifestyle shows that 29.1 % consumes alcohol, most (86.9%) consumes carbonated drinks while 4.4% smoke cigarette. Dietary habit profile of the respondents showed that 74.2% skipped meal. Lunch was the most skipped meal (36.4%) followed by breakfast (36.0%). Some (10.9%) of the respondents do not eats snacks and the most consumed snack was fruit (22.9%) and biscuit (19.6%). 38.5% of the respondents eat snacks daily while 24.0% eat snacks once in two days, 33.8% eat fruit and vegetable thrice in a week. The anthropometric characteristics of primary school teachers show that the male participants had a mean weight, height, hip circumference, waist circumference, body mass index and waist hip ratio of 77.45kg, 1.76m, 89.69cm, 78.92cm, 25.12kg/m? and 0.88 respectively, whereas, the females had a mean weight, height, hip circumference, waist circumference, body mass index and waist hip ratio of 74.68kg, 1.72m, 105.55cm, 92.42cm, 25.29kg/m? and 0.87 respectively. The prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity class I, obesity class II, and morbid obesity among primary school teachers in the study area were 4.0%, 45.5%, 40.0% 8.4%, 1.5% and 0.4% respectively. There was a significant relationship between BMI and lifestyle (skipping of meals and meals skipped as well as frequency of snack consumption) at (P<0.05). The waist-hip ratio status relationship revealed that there was significant difference between waist-hip ratio status and lifestyles (alcohol consumption, type of alcoholic drinks taken, smoking and type of soft drink taken in a day).This study demonstrated high prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle such as unhealthy eating habits, skipping of meals and consumption of excess carbonated drinks, together with high prevalence of overweight and abdominal obesity. On the contrary healthy lifestyle such as low cigarette smoking was observed among the school teachers. The teachers' dietary habit shows that many of them skipped meal which was mostly lunch reasons being lack of time to eat. Most of the respondents do not consume fruits every day.