Association of tibiofemoral angle, quadriceps angle and body mass index in a selected adolescent population

BACKGROUND: Tibiofemoral angle (TFA) and quadriceps angle (QA) are important in the evaluation of patients with knee pathologies associated with these angles. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated correlations among TFA, QA and body mass index (BMI) among Nigerian adolescent population. METHODS: A total of 519 (262 males and 257 females) adolescents aged between 10–18 years selected by stratified random sampling technique from some randomly selected schools in Nnewi metropolis. This study utilised the cross-sectional survey design. A height meter and bathroom weighing scale were used to collect data for BMI while a universal plastic goniometer was used to measure TFA and QA. Independent t- test, paired t-test and Pearson Product Moment Correlation were used to analyse the data obtained. RESULTS: Findings of this study showed there was significant difference between right and left QA of males (t= 2.824; p= 0.005), and females (t= −2.012; p= 0.045) with the right QA been higher than the left in both males and females. Males have a higher TFA and QA (p<0.05 in all cases) than females. A significant negative correlation was found between BMI and right TFA (p=0.034), and between TFA and QA (p= <0.0001). CONCLUSION: TFA positively significantly correlated with QA, with males having higher QA and TFA than females. The obtained information is important in the assessment and management of knee pathologies associated with these angles.