Socioeconomic, Temporal and Regional Variation in Body Mass Index among 188,537 Swiss Male Conscripts Born between 1986 and 1992

Panczak, Radoslaw; Zwahlen, Marcel; Woitek, Ulrich; Rühli, Frank J; Staub, Kaspar

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0096721

Cited by 19 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The two-step increase in weight and BMI at the end of the 1980s and again since 2000 matches the pattern that was found for conscripts in Switzerland (66) and might reflect changes in lifestyle (e.g. the introduction of fast-food restaurants in the 1980s or decreasing physical activity levels during the last two decades) as well as the economic situation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Temporal trends, regional variation and socio-economic differences in height, BMI and body proportions among German conscripts, 1956–2010

Lehmann

Floris

Woitek

et al. 2016

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: We analyse temporal trends and regional variation among the most recent available anthropometric data from German conscription in the years 2008-2010 and their historical contextualization since 1956. Design/setting/subjects: The overall sample included German conscripts (N 13 857 313) from 1956 to 2010. Results: German conscripts changed from growing in height to growing in breadth. Over the analysed 54 years, average height of 19-year-old conscripts increased by 6·5 cm from 173·5 cm in 1956 (birth year 1937) to 180·0 cm in 2010 (birth year 1991). This increase plateaued since the 1990s (1970s birth years). The increase in average weight, however, did not lessen during the last two decades but increased in two steps: at the end of the 1980s and after 1999. The weight and BMI distributions became increasingly right-skewed, the prevalence of overweight and obesity increased from 11·6 % and 2·1 % in 1984 to 19·9 % and 8·5 % in 2010, respectively. The north-south gradient in height (north = taller) persisted during our observations. Height and weight of conscripts from East Germany matched the German average between the early 1990s and 2009. Between the 1980s and the early 1990s, the average chest circumference increased, the average difference between chest circumference when inhaling and exhaling decreased, as did leg length relative to trunk length. Conclusions: Measuring anthropometric data for military conscripts yielded year-by-year monitoring of the health status of young men at a proscribed age. Such findings contribute to a more precise identification of groups at risk and thus help with further studies and to target interventions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Temporal trends, regional variation and socio-economic differences in height, BMI and body proportions among German conscripts, 1956–2010

Lehmann

Floris

Woitek

et al. 2016

Public Health Nutr.

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“…The recruitment process of the Swiss Armed Forces has been described in details elsewhere (Bruggisser et al, 2016;Panczak et al, 2016Panczak et al, , 2014, in brief, all men are reviewed for recruitment during the year in which they turn 19. The military assessments include, among others, a standardized measurement of height (rounded to integers) of every conscript (without shoes and in light underwear), including those who get deferred or exempted (Bundesgesetz über die Armee und die Militärverwaltung,510.10,Art.…”

Section: Data Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3 and Art. 9) (Panczak et al, 2016(Panczak et al, , 2014. Swiss Armed Forces provided a complete set of anonymized conscript records from 1.1.2005 to 31.12.2011 which included date of birth, date of conscription, height, current occupation, postcode of place of residence (further referred to as 'postcode') and stage of conscription (first, regular visit versus reassessment).…”

Section: Data Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A tall order: Small area mapping and modelling of adult height among Swiss male conscripts

Panczak

Moser

Held

et al. 2017

Economics & Human Biology

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Adult height reflects an individual's socio-economic background and offers insights into the well-being of populations. Height is linked to various health outcomes such as morbidity and mortality and has consequences on the societal level. The aim of this study was to describe small-area variation of height and associated factors among young men in Switzerland. Data from 175,916 conscripts (aged between 18.50 and 20.50 years) was collected between 2005 and 2011, which represented approximately 90% of the corresponding birth cohorts. These were analysed using Gaussian hierarchical models in a Bayesian framework to investigate the spatial pattern of mean height across postcodes. The models varied both in random effects and degree of adjustment (professional status, area-based socioeconomic position, and language region). We found a strong spatial structure for mean height across postcodes. The range of height differences between mean postcode level estimates was 3.40cm according to the best fitting model, with the shorter conscripts coming from the Italian and French speaking parts of Switzerland. There were positive socioeconomic gradients in height at both individual and area-based levels. Spatial patterns for height persisted after adjustment for individual factors, but not when language region was included. Socio-economic position and cultural/natural boundaries such as language borders and mountain passes are shaping patterns of height for Swiss conscripts. Small area mapping of height contributes to the understanding of its cofactors.

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“…In January 2006, a new physical performance test and a self‐report questionnaire on PA behavior were implemented in the Swiss Armed Forces (SAF) recruitment process. The study population of annually investigated 18‐year‐old men represented approximately 95% of this age group . In total, the performance data from more than 300 000 male conscripts are available to investigate the development of physical fitness in general and in groups of the most and least fit subjects, in particular.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study population of annually investigated 18-year-old men represented approximately 95% of this age group. 17 In total, the performance data from more than 300 000 male conscripts are available to investigate the development of physical fitness in general and in groups of the most and least fit subjects, in particular. Therefore, these data were available to be used to investigate the development of fitness in the Swiss population after the millennium.…”

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confidence: 99%

Development of physical fitness performance in young Swiss men from 2006 to 2015

Wyss

Roos

Studer

et al. 2019

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

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From 1980 to 2000, physical fitness decreased and body mass index (BMI) increased in the population of many industrialized countries. Little is known about these trends after the year 2000. This study aimed to investigate physical fitness performance, physical activity (PA) behavior, and BMI of young, male Swiss adults between 2006 and 2015. For this purpose, results from the Swiss Armed Forces mandatory recruitment were used. A total of 306 746 male conscripts provided complete fitness test data, mean ± SD (range from 5th to 95th percentile): 20 ± 1 (18‐21) years, 178 ± 7 (168‐189) cm; 74 ± 13 (58‐97) kg, predicted maximal oxygen consumption of 49.9 ± 4.6 (41.8‐56.9) mL/kg/min (Conconi test), 125 ± 58 (43‐232) seconds in trunk muscle strength test (prone bridge), 2.31 ± 0.24 (1.90‐2.66) m in standing long jump, 6.46 ± 0.73 (5.30‐7.70) m in seated shot put (2 kg medical‐ball shot) and 45.6 ± 12.2 (29.9‐66.7) seconds in one‐leg standing test (sum of both legs; eyes closed after 10 seconds and head tilted back after 20 seconds). In the investigated population, 73.8% fulfilled basic PA recommendations, 46.2% were classified as regularly vigorously active. Performances in aerobic endurance and muscle power did not show secular changes over time. However, core stability performance and PA behavior increased, while balance ability decreased over this 10‐year period. Average BMI increased by 2.0% between 2006 and 2010 and did not change thereafter. Male Swiss adults are at least as physically fit as they were a decade ago. The secular trends of decreasing physical performances and increasing BMI have stopped, and self‐reported sport participation and leisure time PA have been increased in the observed population over the last 10 years.

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Socioeconomic, Temporal and Regional Variation in Body Mass Index among 188,537 Swiss Male Conscripts Born between 1986 and 1992

Cited by 19 publications

References 40 publications

Temporal trends, regional variation and socio-economic differences in height, BMI and body proportions among German conscripts, 1956–2010

Temporal trends, regional variation and socio-economic differences in height, BMI and body proportions among German conscripts, 1956–2010

A tall order: Small area mapping and modelling of adult height among Swiss male conscripts

Development of physical fitness performance in young Swiss men from 2006 to 2015

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