Abstract
Increases in human stature are a key indicator of improvements in the average health of populations. In this article I present and analyse a new data set for the average height of adult male birth cohorts, from the mid-nineteenth century to 1980, in 15 European countries. In little more than a century average height increased by 11 cm-representing a dramatic improvement in health. Interestingly, there was some acceleration in the period spanning the two world wars and the Great Depression. The evidence suggests that the most important proximate source of increasing height was the improving disease environment as reflected by the fall in infant mortality. Rising income and education and falling family size had more modest effects. Improvements in health care are hard to identify, and the effects of welfare state spending seem to have been small.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 349-372 |
| Journal | Oxford Economic Papers |
| Volume | 66 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
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Hatton, T. (2014). How have Europeans grown so tall? Oxford Economic Papers, 66(2), 349-372. https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpt030
Hatton, Timothy. / How have Europeans grown so tall?. In: Oxford Economic Papers. 2014 ; Vol. 66, No. 2. pp. 349-372.
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abstract = "Increases in human stature are a key indicator of improvements in the average health of populations. In this article I present and analyse a new data set for the average height of adult male birth cohorts, from the mid-nineteenth century to 1980, in 15 European countries. In little more than a century average height increased by 11 cm-representing a dramatic improvement in health. Interestingly, there was some acceleration in the period spanning the two world wars and the Great Depression. The evidence suggests that the most important proximate source of increasing height was the improving disease environment as reflected by the fall in infant mortality. Rising income and education and falling family size had more modest effects. Improvements in health care are hard to identify, and the effects of welfare state spending seem to have been small.",
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Hatton, T 2014, 'How have Europeans grown so tall?', Oxford Economic Papers, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 349-372. https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpt030
How have Europeans grown so tall? / Hatton, Timothy.
In: Oxford Economic Papers, Vol. 66, No. 2, 2014, p. 349-372.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - How have Europeans grown so tall?
AU - Hatton, Timothy
PY - 2014
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N2 - Increases in human stature are a key indicator of improvements in the average health of populations. In this article I present and analyse a new data set for the average height of adult male birth cohorts, from the mid-nineteenth century to 1980, in 15 European countries. In little more than a century average height increased by 11 cm-representing a dramatic improvement in health. Interestingly, there was some acceleration in the period spanning the two world wars and the Great Depression. The evidence suggests that the most important proximate source of increasing height was the improving disease environment as reflected by the fall in infant mortality. Rising income and education and falling family size had more modest effects. Improvements in health care are hard to identify, and the effects of welfare state spending seem to have been small.
AB - Increases in human stature are a key indicator of improvements in the average health of populations. In this article I present and analyse a new data set for the average height of adult male birth cohorts, from the mid-nineteenth century to 1980, in 15 European countries. In little more than a century average height increased by 11 cm-representing a dramatic improvement in health. Interestingly, there was some acceleration in the period spanning the two world wars and the Great Depression. The evidence suggests that the most important proximate source of increasing height was the improving disease environment as reflected by the fall in infant mortality. Rising income and education and falling family size had more modest effects. Improvements in health care are hard to identify, and the effects of welfare state spending seem to have been small.
U2 - 10.1093/oep/gpt030
DO - 10.1093/oep/gpt030
M3 - Article
SN - 0030-7653
VL - 66
SP - 349
EP - 372
JO - Oxford Economic Papers
JF - Oxford Economic Papers
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Hatton T. How have Europeans grown so tall? Oxford Economic Papers. 2014;66(2):349-372. doi: 10.1093/oep/gpt030
