Prevalence and trends in obesity among Austrian conscripts from 1983 to 2017

This article describes the recent prevalence and trend in weight status in young men over three and half decades among Austrian conscripts overall and by subgroups defined by education and smoking behavior. We extracted medical record data from six medical examination stations across the country of all Austrian military conscripts (aged 17-19 years) recruited between 1983 and 2017 (n = 1.5 million). Weight and height were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). Mean BMI increased from 22.7 to 24.3 kg/m² between 1983 and 2017. Over time, the prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) increased from 1.6% (95% CI 1.6-1.7%) to 8.2% (95% CI 8.1-8.3%). The prevalence of obesity among Austrian young men increased remarkably in the past 35 years. Higher levels of education appeared to be associated with lower prevalence of obesity, particularly among the non-smokers.