Rural versus urban women: An examination of anthropometry and body composition

Objective To describe and compare body composition and fat distribution of Australian women 18–44 years from an urban and rural location. Design Cross‐sectional survey and collection of anthropometric and body composition measurements. Setting Newcastle and Tamworth in New South Wales. Participants Convenience sample of women recruited through media and community. Main outcome measures Weight, height, waist and hip girths, visceral fat area, body fat (kg and %) and skeletal muscle mass. Results Of the total sample (n = 254), 53% resided in an urban area and the mean age was 28.0 (7.6) years. The mean age of rural women was significantly higher than for urban women. The majority of women (66.5%) had a Body Mass Index within the healthy range (18.5–24.9 kg m−2) and there was no significant difference in mean Body Mass Index between rural and urban women. Measures of central fat distribution, waist circumference and waist‐to‐hip ratio were significantly higher in rural residents. Visceral fat area was significantly higher among rural women. After adjustment for age, differences in waist circumference, waist‐to‐hip ratio and visceral fat area were no longer statistically significant. Conclusion While we did not find statistically significant differences in body composition among urban and rural women, these results highlight the dramatic effect of age on measures of central adiposity. Population surveillance needs to incorporate measures of excess central adiposity, particularly visceral fat area, to better investigate changes in body composition among women in their 20s and 30s.