Anthropometric parameter and performances in working memory tasks in a sample of young adult in Colombo District, Sri Lanka

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Objective: As recent studies have shown that obesity has been associated with poor cognitive functions, a study was conducted to assess the association between working memory (WM) and basic anthropometric measurements in a sample of 157 young adults aged 21-25 years in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. Methods: Body mass index (BMI), Waist to Hip ratio (WHR) and Body fat percentage (BF%) were calculated as anthropometric measurements. WM was assessed via computerized visuospatial (VSWM) and verbal working memory (VWM) tasks. . Results: Study sample comprised of 49.7% of females with mean scores of VSWM and VWM of 24.39±8.94 and 3.10±0.76 respectively. In the study sample 32.7% and 29.6% were overweight and obese while 75.3% and 50% of males and females were in high WHR category. The significant group effect was observed in means scores of both VSWM and VWM with normal weight, overweight and obese groups [p <0.05; (df=2, F= 12.99 & df=2, F= 10.95)] with significantly lower performances in VSWM in overweight and in obese categories compared with normal weight. A significantly lower scores were observed in means scores of VSWM for both male and female group with high WHR compared with normal WHR (p <0.05). A negative significant correlation was observed for males and females in VWM with BF% (r=-0.254 & r= -0.468; p<0.05) and with VSWM scores with BF% (r= -0.543, p <0.05). Conclusion: The young adults in the study sample who were obese, high WHR and high BF% had poor WM when compared with normal BMI, WHR and BF%