Association of BMI, Waist-hip Ratio and Skinfold Thickness with Sensory Conduction of the Median Nerve in First-year Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Nerve Conduction Study (NCS) is a widely used electrodiagnostic tool to evaluate the health of the peripheral nervous system. First-year medical students, due to extensive use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and academic pressure, often have limited time for physical activity, potentially influencing nerve conduction. Understanding the influence of anthropometric factors on nerve conduction in this population can help suggest preventive strategies to maintain nerve health. Aim: To examine the association between various anthropometric variables with median nerve sensory conduction parameters like latency, amplitude, and Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV) in first-year medical students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi, Karnataka, India from January 2019 to December 2019. Out of the total population, 110 students were selected through simple random sampling after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Anthropometric measurements, including height, weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist-hip Ratio (WHR), and skinfold thickness, were recorded. Median nerve sensory conduction was assessed at the wrist in both hands. Data were analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.0, and associations between BMI, WHR, skinfold thickness and nerve conduction parameters were evaluated using Student’s t-test. Results: For height, no statistically significant differences were found for latency (p=0.15) and amplitude (p=0.65), although shorter individuals had slightly lower NCV compared to those of normal height (p0.05). These findings suggest that height and WHR may impact specific aspects of nerve conduction, with potential implications for clinical assessments. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that anthropometric variables, including height, weight, and WHR, significantly influence median nerve sensory conduction parameters. These findings highlight the importance of considering body composition when interpreting Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS), particularly in populations with lifestyle constraints like medical students.

Keywords

• anthropometric variables
• body mass index
• median sensory nerve conduction
• nerve conduction velocity
• sensory amplitude
• sensory latency