Comparative analysis of the central body fat distribution of women in the urban population in Latvia

The aims of this study were to determine and compare the differences between the regional adiposity and some indexes of central body fat distribution of women according to age group categories in the urban population in Latvia. For this purpose 373 women were anthropometrically examined during the period 2001–2005. The body height, body weight, three circumferences (chest, waist, hip) and four skinfolds (biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac) were measured. The four indexes were calculated and studied: the subscapular/triceps (STSR) skinfold ratio and the centripetal fat (CPFR) ratio, the waist-hip ratio (WHR) and the body mass index (BMI). In general, the age values showed an increasing of the central body fat distribution for women in the urban population. The associations of age with all the central body fat distribution indexes were significant. This study provided evidence that there is a significant positive trend of increased central body fat distribution with the increasing age of the women in the urban population in Latvia. Future studies should also investigate whether the same phenomenon exists for women in rural population in Latvia.