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THE RELATIONSHIP OF POLISH STUDENTS' HEIGHT, WEIGHT AND BMI WITH SOME SOCIOECONOMIC VARIABLES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2010

MONIKA KRZYŻANOWSKA  and
WIOLETA UMŁAWSKA
MONIKA KRZYŻANOWSKA
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Wrocław, Poland
WIOLETA UMŁAWSKA
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Wrocław, Poland
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Summary

The aim of this study was to assess the variation in student body height, weight and BMI in relation to several socioeconomic factors. Data (collected in 1998) were obtained through a structured questionnaire from 2800 students (1023 men and 1777 women) from Wrocław Universities, Poland. Information on students' age, reported height and weight and their place of residence prior to starting university, the number of siblings and parents' education were collected. Students with mothers or fathers with higher education had, on average, higher mean heights, but after correcting for other socioeconomic variables only place of residence showed a significant association with height and BMI, with those living in medium or large urban centres having a higher mean height and those living in small or medium urban areas having a lower mean BMI.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 42 , Issue 5 , September 2010 , pp. 643 - 652
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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