1
|
Müller SM, Floris J, Rohrmann S, Staub K, Matthes KL. Body height among adult male and female Swiss Health Survey participants in 2017: Trends by birth years and associations with self-reported health status and life satisfaction. Prev Med Rep 2022; 29:101980. [PMID: 36161131 PMCID: PMC9502675 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Increase in average body height had slowed down from around the 1970s birth cohorts. Women and men with tertiary education levels were taller than participants holding other education levels. Taller participants were less overweighted and were more satisfied with their lives than shorter participants. Taller participants had better overall health than shorter participants. Taller men were more likely to have lower back pain than shorter men.
The increase in adult height for 150 years is linked to overall improvements in nutrition, hygiene, and living standards. Height is positively associated with general health and success on various levels (e.g. quality of life, earnings or happiness). The aim of this study was to investigate whether different subgroups show different trends across birth cohorts. We wanted to know whether taller individuals considered themselves as healthier and their quality of life as better than shorter individuals. We included 19,435 participants from the Swiss population-based Health Survey 2017. GAM were used to assess nonlinear associations between height and birth year. Multinomial logistic regression was used to predict probabilities of self-rated health in relation to height. The increase in average height slows down from the 1970s birth cohorts. Participants with parents from Central/Northern/Western Europe (men 177.9 cm, women: 165.1 cm) or Eastern Europe (men 178.7 cm, women: 165.7 cm) were taller than participants with parents from South America (men 174.3 cm, women: 161. cm) and Asia (men 173.2 cm, women: 160.1 cm). Participants with tertiary education were taller than participants from education levels (mean difference men: 4.5 cm, women: 5.0 cm). Height was positively associated with self-declared aspects of health and life satisfaction. These results support the conclusion that body height as a co-factor of health aspects should be considered in public health research. Although adult body height can no longer be influenced, nutritional status and thus also healthy growth can be influenced in childhood by public health programs, by eliminating social inequalities, and by strengthen healthy living conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Joël Floris
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of History, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Rohrmann
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kaspar Staub
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), Zurich, Switzerland
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Schäppi J, Stringhini S, Guessous I, Staub K, Matthes KL. Body height in adult women and men in a cross-sectional population-based survey in Geneva: temporal trends, association with general health status and height loss after age 50. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e059568. [PMID: 35803618 PMCID: PMC9272122 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE On the one hand, trends in average height in adulthood mirror changes in living standard and health status of a population and its subgroups; on the other hand, height in general, as well as the loss of height in older age in particular, are associated in different ways with outcomes for health. For these aspects, there is hardly any information for Switzerland based on representative and measured body height data. DESIGN Repeated cross-sectional survey study. SETTING Fully anonymised data from the representative population-based Geneva Bus Santé Study between 2005 and 2017 were analysed. METHODS Data from N=8686 study participants were used in the trend analysis. Height was measured and sociodemographic information and self-rated health was collected via questionnaires. Follow-up (mean: 7.1 years) measurements from N=2112 participants were available to assess height loss after age 50. RESULTS Women were, on average, 166.2 cm (SD 6.5) tall and men 179.2 cm (SD 6.5). Among men and women, higher socioeconomic status was associated with taller average height. The flattening of the increase in height from the 1970s birth years appears to begin earlier in the subgroup with the highest education level. The tallest average height was measured for men and women from Central and Northern Europe, the shortest for South America and Asia. The likelihood that participants rated their health as 'very good' increased with greater body height. The follow-up data show that men lost -0.11 cm per follow-up year (95% CI -0.12 to -0.10), women -0.17 cm (95% CI -0.18 to 0.15). CONCLUSIONS The association of height and health status is currently understudied. Monitoring changes in average body height may indicate disparities in different subgroups of populations. Based on our study and a growing literature, we think that the multifaceted role of body height should be better considered in clinical practice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Schäppi
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care, Hôpitaux Universitaires Genève, Geneve, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Idris Guessous
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Primary Care, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kaspar Staub
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss School of Public Health SSPH+, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katarina L Matthes
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bogin B. Fear, violence, inequality, and stunting in Guatemala. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 34:e23627. [PMID: 34125987 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stunting is defined by the public health community as a length- or height-for-age <-2 SD of a growth standard or reference and is claimed to be caused by poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. MATERIAL AND METHODS Stunting is common at all income levels in middle- and low-income countries. At the higher income levels, stunting is unlikely to be caused by nutrient deficiency or infectious disease. RESULTS In Guatemala, 17% of <5-year-olds in the highest family income quintile are stunted. Guatemala has a history of violence from armed conflict, current-day social and economic inequalities, government corruption, and threat of kidnapping for the wealthiest families. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The high level of persistent violence creates an ecology of fear, an extreme range of inequalities in Social-Economic-Political-Emotional resources, and biosocial stress that inhibits skeletal growth and causes stunting for people of all income levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barry Bogin
- School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK.,UCSD/Salk Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), University of California San Diego, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Lopuszanska-Dawid M, Kołodziej H, Lipowicz A, Szklarska A, Kopiczko A, Bielicki T. Social class-specific secular trends in height among 19-year old Polish men: 6th national surveys from 1965 till 2010. ECONOMICS AND HUMAN BIOLOGY 2020; 37:100832. [PMID: 31924589 DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2019.100832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The results presented in this study concern the assessment of the secular trend of body height in 10 % a random national sample (N = 134,224) representing all regions of Poland in 8 homogeneous social groups over 45 years in Poland (1965-2010). Very significant political, social and economic changes in Poland occurred in the period studied. The political revolution that began in Poland at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s dramatically changed the picture of social inequalities in the country. It rapidly transformed (in different directions and to a different degree) the economic situation, working conditions, lifestyles and the prestige of particular social classes and professional groups. A positive secular trend was observed in 19-year-old participants in the period analysed in all homogeneous socio-professional groups, however, with different intensity in each group. The highest body height increases in 1965-2010 were observed in the sons of farmers with post-primary father's education (7.77 cm). The lowest were observed among the sons of professionals, only 5.45 cm. Although social distances between extreme socio-economic groups significantly decreased (from 4.89 cm in 1965 to 2.76 cm in 2010), social gradients of body height, despite the improvement in the standards of living of the entire society remained exceptionally stable and unchanged for nearly half a century.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Lopuszanska-Dawid
- Józef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marymoncka 34, 00-968 Warsaw 45, Poland.
| | - H Kołodziej
- Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, The Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Department of Anthropology, C. K. Norwida 25, 50-375 Wrocław, Poland
| | - A Lipowicz
- Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, The Faculty of Biology and Animal Science, Department of Anthropology, C. K. Norwida 25, 50-375 Wrocław, Poland
| | - A Szklarska
- Polish Academy of Sciences, Palace of Culture and Science, Plac Defilad 1, 00-901 Warsaw, Poland
| | - A Kopiczko
- Józef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marymoncka 34, 00-968 Warsaw 45, Poland
| | - T Bielicki
- Polish Academy of Sciences, Palace of Culture and Science, Plac Defilad 1, 00-901 Warsaw, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wei W, Gruebner O, von Wyl V, Dressel H, Ulyte A, Brüngger B, Blozik E, Bähler C, Braun J, Schwenkglenks M. Exploring geographic variation of and influencing factors for utilization of four diabetes management measures in Swiss population using claims data. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care 2020; 8:8/1/e001059. [PMID: 32094222 PMCID: PMC7039601 DOI: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2019-001059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Four strongly recommended diabetes management measures are biannual glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) testing, annual eye examination, kidney function examination, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) testing in patients below 75 years. We aimed to describe regional variation in the utilization of the four measures across small regions in Switzerland and to explore potential influencing factors. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of adult patients with drug-treated diabetes in 2014 using claims data. Four binary outcomes represented adherence to the recommendations. Possible influencing factors included sociodemographics, health insurance preferences, and clinical characteristics. We performed multilevel modeling with Medstat regions as the higher level. We calculated the median odds ratio (MOR) and checked spatial autocorrelation in region level residuals using Moran's I statistic. When significant, we further conducted spatial multilevel modeling. RESULTS Of 49 198 patients with diabetes (33 957 below 75 years), 69.6% had biannual HbA1c testing, 44.3% each had annual eye examination and kidney function examination, and 55.5% of the patients below 75 years had annual LDL testing. The effects of health insurance preferences were substantial and consistent. Having any supplementary insurance (ORs across measures were between 1.08 and 1.28), having supplementary hospital care insurance (1.08-1.30), having chosen a lower deductible level (eg, SFr2500 compared with SFr300: 0.57-0.69), and having chosen a managed care model (1.04-1.17) were positively associated with recommendations adherence. The MORs (1.27-1.33) showed only moderate unexplained variation, and we observed inconsistent spatial patterns of unexplained variation across the four measures. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that the uptake of strongly recommended measures in diabetes management could possibly be optimized by providing further incentives to patients and care providers through insurance scheme design. The absence of marked regional variation implies limited potential for improvement by targeted regional intervention, while provider-specific promotion may be more impactful.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenjia Wei
- Department of Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Gruebner
- Department of Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Viktor von Wyl
- Department of Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Holger Dressel
- Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Agne Ulyte
- Department of Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beat Brüngger
- Department of Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences, Helsana Versicherungen AG, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Eva Blozik
- Department of Health Sciences, Helsana Versicherungen AG, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Division of General Practice, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | - Caroline Bähler
- Department of Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Health Sciences, Helsana Versicherungen AG, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Julia Braun
- Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Schwenkglenks
- Department of Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Eiholzer U, Fritz C, Katschnig C, Dinkelmann R, Stephan A. Contemporary height, weight and body mass index references for children aged 0 to adulthood in Switzerland compared to the Prader reference, WHO and neighbouring countries. Ann Hum Biol 2019; 46:437-447. [DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2019.1677774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Urs Eiholzer
- Centre for Paediatric Endocrinology Zurich (PEZZ), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chris Fritz
- Centre for Paediatric Endocrinology Zurich (PEZZ), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Katschnig
- Centre for Paediatric Endocrinology Zurich (PEZZ), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rolf Dinkelmann
- Centre for Paediatric Endocrinology Zurich (PEZZ), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anika Stephan
- Centre for Paediatric Endocrinology Zurich (PEZZ), Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Güsewell S, Floris J, Berlin C, Zwahlen M, Rühli F, Bender N, Staub K. Spatial Association of Food Sales in Supermarkets with the Mean BMI of Young Men: An Ecological Study. Nutrients 2019; 11:nu11030579. [PMID: 30857247 PMCID: PMC6470871 DOI: 10.3390/nu11030579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 03/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Supermarket food sales data might serve as a simple indicator of population-level dietary habits that influence the prevalence of excess weight in local environments. To test this possibility, we investigated how variation in store-level food sales composition across Switzerland is associated with the mean Body Mass Index (BMI) of young men (Swiss Army conscripts) living near the stores. We obtained data on annual food sales (2011) for 553 stores from the largest supermarket chain in Switzerland, identified foods commonly regarded as “healthy” or “unhealthy” based on nutrient content, and determined their contribution to each store’s total sales (Swiss francs). We found that the sales percentages of both “healthy” and “unhealthy” food types varied by 2- to 3-fold among stores. Their balance ranged from −15.3% to 18.0% of total sales; it was positively associated with area-based socioeconomic position (r = 0.63) and negatively associated with the mean BMI of young men in the area (r = −0.42). Thus, even though we compared supermarkets from a single chain, different shopping behaviors of customers caused stores in privileged areas to sell relatively more healthy food. Knowledge about such patterns could help in designing in-store interventions for healthier nutrition and monitoring their effects over time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Güsewell
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Joël Floris
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Claudia Berlin
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Marcel Zwahlen
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Mittelstrasse 43, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Frank Rühli
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Nicole Bender
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Kaspar Staub
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Staub K, Henneberg M, Galassi FM, Eppenberger P, Haeusler M, Morozova I, Rühli FJ, Bender N. Increasing variability of body mass and health correlates in Swiss conscripts, a possible role of relaxed natural selection? Evol Med Public Health 2018; 2018:116-126. [PMID: 29942512 PMCID: PMC6007356 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoy012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The body mass index (BMI) is an established anthropometric index for the development of obesity-related conditions. However, little is known about the distribution of BMI within a population, especially about this distribution's temporal change. Here, we analysed changes in the distribution of height, weight and BMI over the past 140 years based on data of Swiss conscripts and tested for correlations between anthropometric data and standard blood parameters. METHODS Height and weight were measured in 59 504 young Swiss males aged 18-19 years during conscription in 1875-79, 1932-36, 1994 and 2010-12. For 65% of conscripts in 2010-12, results of standard blood analysis were available. We calculated descriptive statistics of the distribution of height, weight and BMI over the four time periods and tested for associations between BMI and metabolic parameters. RESULTS Average and median body height, body weight and BMI increased over time. Height did no longer increase between 1994 and 2010-12, while weight and BMI still increased over these two decades. Variability ranges of weight and BMI increased over time, while variation of body height remained constant. Elevated levels of metabolic and inflammatory blood parameters were found at both ends of BMI distribution. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Both overweight and underweight subgroups showed similar changes in inflammation parameters, pointing toward related metabolic deficiencies in both conditions. In addition to environmental influences, our results indicate a potential role of relaxed natural selection on genes affecting metabolism and body composition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaspar Staub
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maciej Henneberg
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Francesco M Galassi
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Eppenberger
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Haeusler
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Irina Morozova
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Frank J Rühli
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Bender
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|