Hostname: page-component-7857688df4-zx5rz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-11-19T21:32:47.823Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Fitness of professionals and skilled workers in Poland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Elzbieta Rogucka  and
Zygmunt Welon
Elzbieta Rogucka
Affiliation:
Institute of Anthropology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
Zygmunt Welon
Affiliation:
Institute of Anthropology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Simple measures of the biological fitness of adult men aged 25–65 years, inhabitants of the city of Wroclaw, Poland, were studied in two well-defined social groups: professionals and skilled workers. It was found that the manual workers, compared to professionals, have higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, lower relative vital capacity, inferior flexibility of spine, poorer eye-hand co-ordination, and poorer hearing acuity. These social differences appear consistently at each age level between 25 and 65 years and tend to increase with age to the disadvantage of skilled workers.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , April 1996 , pp. 161 - 176
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Bielicki, T., Brajczewski, C., Rogucka, E. & Welon, Z. (1995) Niektóre Spoleczne i Ekologiczne Uwarunkowania Przedwczesnej Umieralności Osób Doroslych w Polsce. Monografie Zak/adu Antropologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk, Wroclaw.Google Scholar
Bielicki, T., Szczotka, H. & Charzewski, J. (1981) The influence of three socio-economic factors on body height in Polish military conscripts. Hum. Biol. 53, 543.Google ScholarPubMed
Bielicki, T. & Welon, Z. (1982) Growth data as indicators of social inequalities: the case of Poland. Yrbk Phys. Anthropol. 25, 153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bielicki, T., Welon, Z. & Żukowski, W. (1988) Problemy nierównowartości biologicznej warstw spolecznych. Mat. Prace Antropol. 109, 123.Google Scholar
Blaxter, M. (1976) Social class and health inequalities. In: Equalities and Inequalities in Health, pp. 111–125. Edited by Carter, C. O. & Peel, J.Academic Press, London.Google Scholar
Blaxter, M. (1987) Evidence on inequality in health from a national survey. Lancet, i, 30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaxter, M. (1990) Health and Lifestyles. Routledge & Chapman Hall, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borkan, G. A. & Norris, A. H. (1980) Biological age in adulthood: comparison of active and inactive U.S. males. Hum. Biol. 52, 787.Google ScholarPubMed
Borkan, G. A., Hults, D. E. & Glynn, R. J. (1983) Role of longitudinal change and secular trend in age differences in male body dimensions. Hum. Biol. 55, 629.Google ScholarPubMed
Brajczewski, C. (1988) Socio-economic differences in body build and work capacity in young men. Stud Phys. Anthropol. (Wroclaw) 9, 67.Google Scholar
Brajczewski, C. & Rogucka, E. (1993) Social class differences in rates of premature mortality among adults in the city of Wroclaw, Poland. Am. J. hum. Biol. 5, 461.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Charzewski, J. (1981) Spoleczne Uwarunkowania Rozwoju Fizycznego Dzieci Warszawskich. Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego, Warsaw.Google Scholar
Dirken, J. M. (1972) Functional Age of Industrial Workers. Wolters-Noordhoff Publishing.Google Scholar
Fisher, R. A. (1954) Statistical Methods for Research Workers. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Forbes, G. B. (1987) Human Body Composition: Growth, Aging, Nutrition and Activity. Springer Verlag, Berlin.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gronkiewicz, L. (1993) Zróżnicowanie Spoleczne Populacji Polskiej Pod Wzglèdem Wybranych Cech Grupowych Krwi na tle Zmienności Wysokości Ciala. Doctoral Dissertation, Institute of Anthropology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw.Google Scholar
Hulanicka, B., Brajczewski, C., Jedlinska, W., Slawinska, T. & Waliszko, A. (1990) City-Town-Village: Growth of children in Poland in 1988. Monograph of the Institute of Anthropology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw.Google Scholar
Koniarek, J., Welon, Z., Bielicki, T. & Żukowski, W. (1989) Pracownice umyslowe a robotnice-różnice w budowie ciala i stanie zdrowia. Mat. Prace Antropol. 110, 5.Google Scholar
Okólski, M. (1989) Demographic anomalies in Poland. In: The Economy in the 1980s. Edited by Clarke, R. A.Longman, Harlow.Google Scholar
Passannante, M. C. D. & Nathanson, C. A. (1985) Female labor force participation and female mortality in Wisconsin 1974–1978. Social Sci. Med. 21, 655.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Polish Academy of Sciences (1984) Report of the Committee for Rehabilitation and Adaptation of Disabled, pp. 28–67. Zaklad Narodowy im. Ossolinskich, Wroclaw.Google Scholar
Power, C., Manor, O. & Fox, J. (1991) Health and Class: The Early Years. Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Rogucka, E. & Welon, Z. (1990) Wielocechowy Miernik Sprawności Organizmu, pp. 133–146. Prace Dolnoślaskiego Centrum Diagnostyki Medycznej, Dolmed.Google Scholar
Trotter, M. & Gleser, G. G. (1951) The effect of ageing on stature. Am. J. phys. Anthrop. 9, 311.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed