Body mass, obesity and fitness among young men
(2001) Arch Public Health — Vol. 59, p. 113-135 (2001)
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- Objectives:– To assess the evolution of body mass (BMI), obesity and overweight among conscripts– To test variations according to age, region, language.Basic procedures:Belgian conscripts underwent a clinical assess-ment: about 48 500 annually (= cc 71% of Belgian males). For 631 327conscripts (1978-1990), BMI, obesity and overweight were analysed inrelation with time trend, “age-class", region, language and decision aboutfitness. Statistical analyses included: oneway, Student-Newman-Keuls,ANOVA, Multiple classification and Chi-square tests. Main findings:All analyses showed very significant associations.Time trend:BMI increased: + .65 kg/m2, taking into account regionand “age-class”; the prevalence of obesity more than doubled; that ofoverweight was multiplied by at least 1.3 (up to age 24).“Age-class”: BMI was significantly higher for the eldest (26+) com-pared to the youngest (18): + 1.12 kg/m2, taking region and time trend into account. However “age-class” is linked to education: university grad-uates underwent the test at an older age.Region:BMI was always higher in Wallonia: + .45 kg/m2versusFlanders, taking “age-class" and time trend into account.Medical assessment:10.1% of the conscripts were rejected formedical reasons; 16.5% were refused when the BMI reached 30, up to77% from BMI 40 on. Those exclusions represent about 7% of all youngmen concerned (including those who did not show up at the examina-tion); outside the procedure under review, an extra 5% were exemptedfor medical reasons.Conclusions: The time trend in BMI proved very significant. BMIwas linked to age-class and region. Obesity strongly affected inability tojoin the armed forces. Due to the risks associated to obesity, action should be taken.
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Deliège, D. A. (2001). Body mass, obesity and fitness among young men. Arch Public Health, 59, 113-135. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/116194 (Original work published 2001)