RELATIONSHIP OF THE BMI VISCERAL FAT AND SUBCUTANEOUS FAT WITH THE LOWER EXTREMITY DEFORMITIES AMONG SCHOOL-GOING CHILDREN

Abstract

Aim: To assess analyze the relationship between BMI, visceral Fat, subcutaneous Fat and lower extremity deformities (flat foot, knock knees, and bow legs) among school-going children of urban and rural areas in Uttar Pradesh. Material and Methods: Five Hundred randomly selected boys students aged 13-17 years from grades 9 to 12 across four major divisions of Uttar Pradesh: Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, and Agra. The aim was to include a diverse sample from both public and private educational institutions. Data collection was carefully scheduled to minimize any disruption to the regular academic activities of the participating schools. The research team coordinated closely with school administrations to develop a data collection timetable that aligned with each institution’s weekly agenda. By coordinating with schools and adhering to their schedules, the research team was able to create a smooth, efficient data collection process that maintained the integrity of both the research and the schools' regular educational activities. The Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient was used to measure the relationship between BMI, visceral Fat, subcutaneous Fat and lower extremity deformities among school-going children of urban and rural areas in Uttar Pradesh. The level of significance was set at 0.05.Results: The results have shown the values of coefficients of correlation of selected body composition (BMI) with selected lower extremity of School going boys were: Flat Foot (0.230) & Bow Leg (0.139). In case of Visceral Fat were: Flat Foot (0.129) & Bow Leg (0.116). And A significant relationship was found between the Subcutaneous Fat and the selected lower extremity of School going boys i.e. Flat Foot (0.233). Conclusion:  Flat foot was more prevalent among children with higher body composition values, particularly in urban areas, but the overall differences in deformity prevalence based on location were not as pronounced as expected.