Physical growth and socioeconomic background of Stockholm schoolchildren born in 1933-63

Height, weight and body mass index (BMI) at aged 7, 10 and 13 years for samples of Stockholm schoolchildren born in 1933, 1943, 1953 and 1963 were analysed in relation to their socioeconomic background. In height there were significant socioeconomic differences for boys and girls born in 1933 and 1943 at the ages of 7 and 10 years; children from the lowest socioeconomic group were smaller. For the cohort born in 1953 there were, however, no socioeconomic differences in height--either for boys or for girls. For children born in 1963, socioeconomic differences in height appeared again, but mainly for the boys; boys in the lowest socioeconomic group were smaller. Significant weight differences between socioeconomic groups were for the boys found only in cohorts born in 1943 and in 1963 and for the girls born in 1933, 1943 and 1953. Socioeconomic differences in BMI were found for boys born in 1943, when the middle socioeconomic group had the lowest index, and for boys born in 1963 when the highest socioeconomic group had the highest index. For girls socioeconomic differences in BMI were only found for girls born in 1953 when the lowest group had the highest BMI. The main conclusions from the study were: socioeconomic differences in height formerly present in Stockholm schoolchildren born in 1933 and 1943 were levelled out for the children born in 1953, but reappeared again for children born in 1963--mainly for the boys; these socioeconomic height differences for the 1963 cohort were of about the same magnitudes as those for the cohort born in 1943 during the Second World War. The influence of socioeconomic background on the BMI of Stockholm schoolchildren born 1933-63 was not so marked.