Body proprtion changes of nursing home oligophrenics in Western Hungary (1991–2011)

Abstract

In 1991, somatometric investigation of oligophrenics living in specialized nursing homes in Western Hungary was carried out by the authors. Focusing on the most important body measurements, we repeated the study 20 years later in order to observe the changes in the body measurements of the mentally retarded groomed in the nursing home. The proportionality (z-score) was analyzed by comparing to the corresponding values of the UHP. The favourable changes in the body proportion are due to the following environmental factors: 1. general inference of the social changes after 1989, 2. healthier nutrition through employing dietetic professionals in the nursing home, 3. physical training programmes through employing curative gymnastics professionals in the institute, 4. adequate medication; replacing older drugs, frequently causing obesity as a side effect, with the new generation ones.