Body mass index values of conscripts in the Polish lands under Prussian rule in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

- Differences in the Body Mass Index (BMI) of conscripts could be shaped by broadly understood cultural factors (socio-economic status, size of the place of residence, nationality and religious denomination).
- The highest BMI values characterized sons of peasants, workers, craftsmen, villagers, and Poles, and the lowest-sons of intelligentsia, town and city inhabitants, and Germans.
- Changes in the BMI could be a result of improvement in the economic situation in the Prussian sector over time.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) of conscripts from the Polish lands under Prussian rule and its causative factors and changes over time was to characterize. A total of 9965 conscripts aged 20 were examined. Differences in the mean BMI were tested using one-way analysis of variance ANOVA and Tukey's-test (post-hoc test). Factor analysis and multiple regression were employed. The highest BMI values characterized sons of peasants, workers and craftsmen, and the lowest, sons of intelligentsia: the difference for peasants/intelligentsia −0.59 kg/m2 (p = 0.0004), and that for workers/intelligentsia and craftsmen/intelligentsia, 0.48 and 0.5 kg/m2 (p = 0.0004 and p = 0.0057, respectively). The difference in BMI of conscripts from the first and last birth cohorts was 0.61 kg/m2 (p = 0.0001). The highest BMI values were noted in conscripts from villages (21.50 kg/m2), and the lowest, in those from towns (21.15 kg/m2) and cities (21.19 kg/m2). The differences for village/town and village/city were statistically significant (p = 0.0026 and p = 0.0026, respectively). The BMI difference between Poles and Germans was 0.35 kg/m2 (higher value among Poles).