Socioeconomic Disparities in Adolescent Growth: an Anthropometric Study of Nigerian School Children in Lagos

Background The dearth of literature on studies investigating the influence of various factors impacting adolescent growth patterns in African populations remain a major challenge in growth research. The aim of the current study was to assess the variation in anthropometric dimensions estimated from stature and limb parameters of adolescent Nigerian school children based on socio-economic backgrounds in Lagos, using school type as an indicator. Methods Ethical clearance was sought and obtained, and upon full consent of the participants, anthropometric measurements of stature, arm span, thigh, percutaneous tibial, arm, forearm, hand and foot lengths were taken from 640 adolescent school children (320 males and 320 females), aged 10–17 years, selected from public and private schools in Lagos using a systematic random method. The anthropometric protocol adopted were those recommended by the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK); and the data collated was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results We observed statistically significant differences in the mean of measured anthropometric dimensions between age matched private and public-school boys {Stature (167.69:160.33; p = 0.000*), Thigh length (45.92:42.66; p = 0.000*), Percutaneous tibial length (37.73:34.55; p = 0.000*), Arm length (28.89:26.81; p = 0.000*), Forearm length(26.14:23.65; p = 0.000*), Hand length (18.26:17.66;p = 0.004*), Foot length(25.07:24.08; p = 0.000*), Arm span (165.73:152.27; p = 0.000*)}, and girls {Stature (166.29:161.61; p = 0.000*), Thigh length (47.98:43.95; p = 0.000*), Percutaneous tibial length (37.43:35.35; p = 0.000*), Arm length(28.76:27.35; p = 0.000*), Forearm length (25.52:24.53; p = 0.002*), Hand length (18.07:17.76;p = 0.000*), Foot length(24.21:23.89; p = 0.023*), Arm span (164.19:154.25; p = 0.000*)}, showing that school types are indicative of socio-economic status. Additionally, significant male-female differences in anthropometric dimensions were greater in public than private schools, with the females exhibiting higher values than the males in the public schools, and the males recording higher values than the females in the private schools. Conclusion The observed variations in anthropometric dimensions among the study population may reflect a complex interaction between growth and socio-economic status, as these factors have been found to influence adolescent growth patterns.