The effect of the economic transition on the body mass index of conscripts in Poland.

The political and socio-economic transition initiated in Poland in the late 1980s is still continuing and has affected all social classes as well as all spheres of daily life of the people. The impact of this change on nutrition and health is examined here, by comparing the body mass index (BMI) of a 10% nationally representative sample of male conscripts aged 19 years (18.50-19.49), in 1986 (n = 26,396), 1995 (n = 22,612), and 2001 (n = 26,178). Mean BMI of young men did not change between 1986 and 1995, but then increased slightly from 22.0 to 22.3 between 1995 and 2001. There was also a significant and continuous increase in the variation of BMI in all social strata across the entire period 1986-2001. This effect is attributed to economic modernisation that has allowed increased diversity of life styles across occupational groups and between families. Sibship size was more important than socio-economic status in explaining variation in BMI after the political changes in 1990. The BMI-enhancing effect of small sibship size is attributed to nutritional intake, and to changes in food availability across the period under study.

Sex differences in the pattern of age-dependent increase in the BMI from 20-59 years.

This study tested the hypothesis of a linear increase of the BMI with age among adults. Materials comprised 32,762 occupationally active females and males 23-59 years age resident in Wroclaw, southwestern Poland. All subjects were medically examined in the course of health screening. The BMI increases linearly with age in women, but increases with age in men in two stages--a more intensive rise between 20-40 years and much slower increase between 40-60 years. This hypothesis was verified with a linear regression model in women but for men piecewise regression with a break at 40 years of age fits the age trends.

[Overweight and obesity in urban population in Poland in years 1983-1999]. / Nadwaga i otylosc w populacji wielkomiejskiej w Polsce w latach 1983-1999.

There is a shortage of up-to-date data on the extent of the problem of overweight and obesity in Poland, although obesity is commonly considered as the 'epidemic of the end of the 20th century'. The aim of the study was to compare the percentages of overweight (BMI > or = 25) and obese (BMI > or = 30) adults from Wroclaw population in particular categories of age, sex and social status. Material comprised the data of 15,641 men and 19,121 women aged 21-60, occupationally active inhabitants of Wroclaw, examined in the DCDM 'DOLMED' in 1983-1999. BMI was used as a measure of general obesity (according to WHO categories). It was revealed that age, sex and social status significantly differentiated BMI of examined inhabitants of Wroclaw. In the subsequent decades of life mean BMI values increased, hence an increase of percentages of overweight and obese persons was observed. More than the half of men exceeded their proper relative mass before 40 years of age, whereas the 2/3 of them had BMI over 25 before the age of 50 (independently on their social background). The process of increasing percentages of overweight women was socially differentiated; between the 3rd and the 6th decade of life the percentages of overweight women increased among intelligence from 16 to 60%, among clerks from 18 to 72% and among workers from 27 to 83%. A sexual dimorphism resulted in fact that in men an age-related increase of overweight subjects (25 > or = BMI < 30) was observed, whereas in women an age-related increase of obese persons (BMI ? 30) was found. In an urban population in Poland in the 1990s the percentage of overweight persons (BMI l 25) exceeded 70% after the age of 50. Therefore--in the context of essential relationships between overweight and both mortality and morbidity--the health status of urban population in Poland is highly disturbing.