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SECULAR CHANGES IN BIRTH WEIGHTS AND WOMEN’S BODY SIZE IN KRAKÓW AND POZNAŃ (POLAND) DURING THE LAST CENTURY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2016

Łukasz Kryst  and
Inez Bilińska
Łukasz Kryst*
Affiliation:
University of Physical Education, Faculty of Physical Education, Department of Anthropology, Kraków, Poland
Inez Bilińska
Affiliation:
Mieszko I College of Education and Administration, Faculty of Public Health, Poznań, Poland
*
1Corresponding author. Email: lkryst@poczta.onet.pl
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Summary

Changing socioeconomic conditions over the last century have left their mark on neonatal size and final body size of individuals born in those days. The main aim of this study was to investigate how the historical, political and economic changes occurring from the late 19th century to the 2000s have affected the birth weight of newborns. Additionally, changes in weight and body height in the case of young women (potential mothers) were analysed. Data were from two cities in Poland (Kraków and Poznań) covering 15,884 newborns and 3612 women aged 18 years, derived from 1900 to 2010. Despite short-term fluctuations, the results showed significant increasing trends in all studied features. Changes in birth weight were similar in both cities: in Kraków it increased by 184 g (males) and 206 g (females), and in Poznań by 216 g (males) and 120 g (females). Changes in women’s body size were also significant, but the level was different depending on place of residence. In the last century, women’s body height increased by 8.2 cm in Kraków and by 10.2 cm in Poznań, and their body weight increased by 1 kg and 5 kg respectively. The considered period covered the years of socioeconomic change that occurred as a result of the political system transformation. Crises, periods of prosperity and other factors that determine standard of living and health care have influenced the development of the Polish population’s physical features.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 49 , Issue 3 , May 2017 , pp. 380 - 391
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2016 

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