Intergenerational Changes in the Waist Circumference and Selected Associated Indicators among Children and Adolescents from Kraków (Poland), between 1983 and 2020

Łukasz Kryst (), Magdalena Żegleń, Julia Badzińska, Agnieszka Woronkowicz and Małgorzata Kowal
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Łukasz Kryst: Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, University of Physical Education in Kraków, 31-571 Kraków, Poland
Magdalena Żegleń: Pain Research Group, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, 30-060 Kraków, Poland
Julia Badzińska: Pain Research Group, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, 30-060 Kraków, Poland
Agnieszka Woronkowicz: Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, University of Physical Education in Kraków, 31-571 Kraków, Poland
Małgorzata Kowal: Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, University of Physical Education in Kraków, 31-571 Kraków, Poland

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: The aim of the study was to examine the direction of the secular changes in the waist and hips circumferences, as well as selected associated body proportions, among children and adolescents from Kraków, Poland. The study group included 8–18-year-olds examined in three cross-sectional studies (1983, 2010, and 2020). The analyzed characteristics included body height, circumferences of the waist and hips, which were used to calculate Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR), and Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR). There was a secular increase regarding the majority of the analyzed features, particularly for the younger children (i.e., prepubertal/early pubertal age). The trends were also especially evident when comparing the results of the 1983 series to the results of their peers examined in 2020. An opposite trend was noted in adolescent girls. The observed changes reflect the secular trend resulting from changes in body composition and fat distribution happening due to alterations in the lifestyle and socio-economic environment of the population over the years. It should also be stressed that the increase in the studied characteristics occurred mainly in younger children. This suggests that the observed changes may have resulted from a shift in the age of maturation and also from the personal and social motivators characteristic for late adolescence.

Keywords: secular trend; WHR; WHtR; waist circumference; adolescents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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