Selected Paper/ Paper Seleccionado

Variability of height and BMI in Polish 19-year-old men: Secular changes and socio-economic differences between 1965 to 2023

Abstract (English)
Variability of height and BMI in Polish 19-year-old men: Secular changes and socio-economic differences between 1965 to 2023
Sławomir Kozieł, Aleksandra Gomuła, Natalia Nowak-Szczepańska, Michał Kopczyński
There is an extensive anthropological literature, which provides a comprehensive description of the phenomenon that human body size reveals intra- and inter-population variation. The quality of nutrition and morbidity at the population level, seem to be foremost factors, among others, which make particularly significant contribution to this variation. These constitute what are termed “living conditions”, or “wellbeing” of individual, family and society. Since the first half of the 19th century, Western European data on the stature of military conscripts has been recognised as a good indicator of the degree of social and economic deficits and resources.
The aim of the present study is to trace the secular changes (intergenerational variation) and social differences or gradients within a generation in height and BMI of conscripts examined in 1965, 1986, 1995, 2001, 2009, 2023.
Height and weight were measured in every 10th man in all local draft boards across Poland. The measurements were done by medical staff. A socio-economic questionnaire was fulfilled by the conscripts. A two-way analysis of variance was performed, where cohorts and social factors were independent variables. Over the 58 years height and BMI increased from 170.5 to 179.3 and from 21.7 to 23.0, respectively. However, the intergenerational height increment was gradually losing its intensity, from 2.33 to 0.61 cm per decade in 1965 and in 2023, respectively. Contrary, BMI showed fluctuating changes of intensity; an increase of 0.12 units per decade between 1965 and 1986, nearly lack of changes between 1986 and 1995 (-0.02 units) to an increase of 0.86 units per decade between 2009 and 2023. At the same time, social gradients diminished across all social factors; i.e., the differences in average height of conscripts in groups of mother’s education, university versus elementary, decreased from 4.76 cm to 1.27 cm between 1965 and 2023, respectively.
The law of diminishing returns and dissemination of a sedentary lifestyle and decrease of physical activity are suggested as an interpretation of the results.
Keywords (Ingles)
conscripts, secular trend, social gradients, Poland
presenters
    Slawomir Koziel

    Nationality: Poland

    Residence: Poland

    Presence:Face to Face/ On Site

    Aleksandra Gomuła

    Presence:Face to Face/ On Site

    Natalia Nowak-Szczepańska

    Presence:Face to Face/ On Site