The Transition to Post-industrial BMI Values Among US Children

Abstract

Abstract:Background: The trend in the BMI values of US children has not been estimated very

BMI distribution/social stratification in Swiss conscripts from 1875 to present

“…The difference between the two distributions in the 1930s and in (2009) suggest that this skewing phenomenon has been taking place from 1980 onward in the case of Switzerland. We were not able to test that point in time, but we confirm the general pattern that has been observed in other countries (Rasmussen et al, 1999;Felgal and Troiano, 2000;Katzmarzyk, 2002;Penman and Johnson, 2006;Komlos et al, 2009;Hiermeyer 2009). The BMI distribution in Switzerland has become increasingly skewed in the second half of the twentieth century by a distribution shift more to the upper end of the curve than to the lower end.…”

“…The reason for this modern obesity pandemic remains quite enigmatic. Komlos et al (2009) found that the raising obesity pandemic among US-born children and youth since the 1920s and especially between 1950 and . We suggest that a positive energy balance (decreased energy expenditure by low level of physical activity and/or increased dietary energy intake by relative cheapness of processed foods, large portion sizes, immediate availability of fast foods, high-fat or high-energy diet and so on) is also a major reason for the increased prevalence of overweight Swiss from the 1980s until today; however, the phenomenon has been delayed by at least 30 years compared with the United States (Groscurth et al, 2003;Komlos et al, 2009;Statistisches Amt Basel Stadt, 2009).…”

“…Vignerova et al (2007) compared percentile changes in BMI-for-age of Czech adolescents between 1951 and 2001. Finally, Helmchen and Henderson (2004) compared the distribution of BMI for Union Army veterans aged 40-69 years in 1890-1900 with participants of a national health survey in the United States (1970States ( -2000, and Komlos et al (2009) showed the rightward skewing in BMI distribution of 18-year-old US military cadets between the 1860s and 1950s.…”

“…Such historical studies could analyze the timing and social etiology of the onset of this pandemic. Felgal and Troiano (2000) and Komlos et al (2009) …”

Decomposing body mass index gaps between Mediterranean countries: A counterfactual quantile regression analysis

“…2 Recent evidence also indicates that cross-country differences are larger in the right tail of the BMI distribution (Ruhm, 2007;Komlos et al, 2009).…”