Secular Trends in Body Composition and Frequency of Overweight and Obesity in Boys Aged 3–18 From Krakow, Poland, Within the Last 30 Years (From 1983 to 2010)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the changes in body composition (fatness and muscle and bone mass) and BMI in three cohorts of boys living in Krakow, Poland, over the last 30 years, and to assess how overweight and obesity frequencies have developed over the period. The anthropological survey was conducted in 2010, and comprised 1863 boys from Krakow aged 3-18 years. The analysis compared the latest measurements of selected skinfold thicknesses, BMI, total body muscle mass and bone mass with the results of surveys from 1983 (N=1934) and 2000 (N=2323). The frequency of overweight and obesity was assessed for the last survey series, and their trends determined for the years 1983-2000 and 2000-2010. The analysis of fat tissue distribution showed that the boys from the 2010 cohort, as compared with those examined in 2000, had a higher trunk adiposity, as manifested by greater thickness of subscapular and suprailiac skinfold thicknesses, and boasted a larger muscle mass and lower bone mass. The survey results also showed that, from 1983 to 2000, the percentage of overweight boys increased slightly (from 11.69% to 12.48%), whereas the frequency of obesity did not change. Over the last decade, the percentage of overweight people has increased to 15.94%, and the frequency of obesity has doubled, equalling 4.94% in 2010. The last decade has seen a minor trend in boys towards increased trunk adiposity, muscle mass, BMI and prevalence of overweight and obesity, and a slight decrease in bone mass.

Intergenerational changes in limb circumferences in children and adolescents aged 3‐18 from Kraków (Poland) from 1983 to 2010

“…In the Kraków children, however, a similar phenomenon was associated with a general decrease in the mid‐upper arm circumference in these age groups. As shown by previous studies, 3‐ to 4‐year‐old children from 2010 were characterized by a lower triceps skinfold thickness than their peers in 1983 (Kowal et al, ; Kryst et al, ). Additionally, the 3‐ to 4‐year‐old boys showed a positive secular trend in mid‐upper arm muscle circumference.…”

“…For example, Olds () suggestedthat the positive secular trend with regard to the circumferences of the limbs in recent decades is present due to an increase in body fat. However, in the populations of Kraków, boys have shown an increase in fat and muscle mass as well as a decrease in bone mass (Kowal et al, ). It was different in girls, where the total body fat did not change significantly between 1983 and 2010 (Kowal, Kryst, Woronkowicz & Sobiecki, ).…”

Long‐term changes in BMI and adiposity rebound among girls from Kraków (Poland) over the last 30 years (from 1983 to 2010)

“…In Poland, the frequency of overweight and obese children in Poland, between 3 and 18 years, estimated using IOTF standards, shows some regional diversity. Surveys conducted in recent years in Warsaw have revealed that 15.1% of children were overweight and 3.1% were obese (Jarosz and Rychlik, ), in Rzeszów 14.7% and 6.9% respectively (Mazur, ), and 15.9% and 4.9% boys in Kraków (Kowal, ).…”

The socioeconomic status and family context of eating attitudes and dietary behaviours of children in Polish primary schools

“…The men's attitude towards weight seems to be associated less with the socio-economic status of the family in the transformation context [2]. Research conducted on the population of Kraków over the last 30 years confirms an increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in boys and a stabilisation/ slight decrease in the prevalence overweight and obesity in girls [27][28][29]. A question about what the families are really like in which the mother is satisfied with her professional status arises.…”