Profiling body somatotype and nutritional status of college age adults in Kelantan

• Main Author: Sine, Kum Choi
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: R Medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.usm.my/54879/1/KUM%20CHOI%20SINE-OCR.pdf; http://eprints.usm.my/54879/

Somatotype is defined as the quantification of the present shape and composition of the human body. It has a great variability determined, partly, by energy intake and and age. The aim of this study was to determine the body somatotype of college age adults and evaluate its relationship with nutritional status and physical activity. This was a cross sectional study, carried out in selected colleges / universities in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. 180 systematically selected college age adults aged 19-25 years old participated successfully in this anthropometric somatotype method. The anthropometric somatotype for each respondent was calculated using somatotype rating form. Nutritional status was determined by Body Mass Index (BMI) classification according to World Health used to assess the physical activity level. Out of 180 respondents, 103 respondents (57.2%) were classified under the endomorphy category, while another 33 respondents (18.3%) and 41 respondents (24.4%) were classified under mesomorphy and ectomorphy categories, respectively. In term of their nutritional status, 102 (56.7%) respondents have normal body weight, whereas 35 (19.4%) and 31 (17.2%) respondents were underweight and overweight, respectively. 12 (6.7%) respondents were found to be obese. For the physical activity level, 25 respondents (13.9%) were in the category of low level, 92 of them (51.1%) fall under the category of moderate level and 63 respondents (35.0%) were in high level category. Female respondents (29.7%) showed higher prevalence of underweight compared to male respondants (9.0%).