Background: Weight gain and its unfavorable consequences on coronary heart disease (CHD) risk have been observed worldwide. Determinants of weight gain were studied in a Polish cohort of 1042 men and women age 35-64 at baseline. Participants were randomly selected from an urban population in Warsaw and a rural population in Tarnobrzeg Province surveyed by investigators in Krakow. The surveys, part of the Pol-MONICA project, were conducted in 1983-1984, 1987-1988, and 1992-1993. The purpose of this report is to gain insight into the dynamics of weight gain in this population that could be helpful in identifying high-risk groups for intervention, and to determine if economic changes that took place shortly after the second survey had any impact on weight gain.
Methods: Weight, height and demographic characteristics were measured at each visit according to Pol-MONICA standard protocol. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as kg/m2. Years of schooling, 7-day alcohol history and smoking history were self-reported.
Results: Sixty percent of the cohort gained some weight, averaging 0.3-0.7kg/y. Weight gain was highest in younger rural women, in urban men and in rural women with low education. In multiple linear regression, low education was related to a 1.29 kg greater weight gain (P<0.01), ex-smoking status was related to a 2.54 kg greater weight gain (P<0.001), and younger age was related to a 1.14 kg greater weight gain (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Our results indicate a need to target intervention programs at young low SES adults. Developing effective means of reaching these vulnerable groups is a critical research goal.