Secular changes in body height and weight of Portuguese boys over one century

This study examines secular changes in attained height and weight in student boys from a military boarding school (Colégio Militar) in Lisbon, Portugal. Data for 1899-1906, 1929-1936, 1961-1966, and 1999-2006 obtained from the archives and medical files of the Colégio Militar were used in this study. In a century Portuguese boys increased in height by 10.5 cm at age 10 to 19.1 cm at age 14, at a mean increase of 1.54 cm per decade. The gain in weight was between 8.7 and 18.9 kg for 10- and 14-year-old boys, respectively, at a mean increase of 1.54 kg per decade. In the same period, age at peak height and weight velocity advanced approximately 2 years, showing an acceleration of developmental tempo. However, most of the real gain in height and weight and the decrease in pubertal age occurred after 1961-1966. This mirrors major improvements in social and economic conditions that initiated in Portugal in the 1960s, and then by political events in the 1970s that promoted further progress.