title: [Overweight and obesity in urban population in Poland in years 1983-1999].
abstract: 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 Wrocław 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 Wrocław, 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 Wrocław. 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 ł 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.
authors.forename: Zygmunt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Welon
authors.forename: Ewa Anita
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Jankowska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*