We need some time series statistics to show whether American kids are
getting taller. Articles that give evidence to support this would also
be fine, but data would be better.

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Request for Question Clarification by cjs2u-ga on 11 Jul 2002 08:19 PDT

Worldstrider, would you please elaborate on:
A. the period of time you are wondering to (eg: last 10 years or last
100 years)
B. how many samples you want (eg: every 10 years or every 100 years)
I have a book that deals with this but would like specific questions
before posting the answer.
Thanks!

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Clarification of Question by worldstrider57-ga on 11 Jul 2002 12:54 PDT

A time series that summarises the last 100 years, with data every 10
years or so would be fine, with maybe more data frequent data points
in the last 10 years.

Hmm......opinion seems to be a bit divided, but here are some
starters.


“Pediatric experts say there is no statistical evidence to suggest
kids are getting taller, although most concede research in the area is
inconclusive.”
http://www.sptimes.com/News/92899/Sports/Young_athletes_gettin.shtml

“If you are taller than your parents, you are consistent with a trend
that has been documented over the past 200 years. People are getting
taller and maturing earlier. American pioneer clothing is smaller in
relation to sizes we wear today. Their beds and other furniture also
reflect a shorter stature. Over a half century, two inches in height
was gained for the average five-year-old and four inches for 11-year-
olds. In addition, the age of puberty has declined three to four years
since the turn of the century. This accelerated maturation rate has
been occurring world-wide.”
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/ianr/fcs/upsdowns/upsmay96.htm

“Second, and even more telling, we are actually not getting taller
anymore. Average height for U.S. men, for example, leveled off at just
under the 5 foot-10 inch mark around 1960--and has stayed there ever
since. When it comes to height, we may have reached the point where we
are all that we can be. (In fact, the Army reports that the average
length of military uniforms has not changed for some time.)”
http://www.knowledgenews.net/issues2002/0401.htm

I´m afraid no hard scientific statistics have come to light yet, but
having looked through many websites dealing with this subject, it
seems that American children probably are not getting taller.  It
would appear that height is determined by genetcs and diet. In the
past when diet might not have been that good average height was
smaller, however in recent times as diet has improved maximum height
has been achieved and so the optimum genetic height has been reached. 
It also seems that there is no evolutionary reason for humans to be
taller.

Hope this helps a little.


IN THE U.S., HEIGHT HITS ITS HEAD ON THE GENETIC CEILING 
http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:kUhkJzV2l0cC:www.sciam.com/2001/0701issue/0701scicit6.html++%22taller+now+than%22+&hl=pt&ie=UTF-8


Polygenic Traits and Estimates of Heritability
“People are on average taller now than they were a hundred years ago
because we receive better nutrition -- we aren't different
genetically, we just get better food”
http://www.utm.edu/~rirwin/391heritability.htm


Back in 1993 someone asked a similar question to you:
http://omega.cohums.ohio-state.edu:8080/hyper-lists/classics-l/listserve_archives/log93/9309b/9309b.140.html

Dear WS,

Today, September 6th, 2002, the Wall Street Journal printed an article
by Robin Sidel (robin.sidel@wsj.com) titled "Extra-Long College Beds
Drive
Students' Parents Extra Crazy."

Although the subject is on how colleges and universities have adopted
extra-long beds, for which it is difficult to find bedding; it does
mention the fact that children's heights in the US have leveled off. 
Here is an except and a source of potential data:

"Longer beds began creeping onto campus some 25 years ago to
accommodate a few taller students. Convinced that teens would only
keep growing, college administrators began to gradually replace their
entire inventories with the bigger beds.

They could have used a course in anthropology. Height has leveled off
in the past generation, and today's average American male is about 5
feet 9 inches tall. "Colleges were probably going with the trend, and
it fooled them," says Paul Sciulli, a physical anthropologist at Ohio
State University. "If you followed the trend, people today would be
getting close to seven feet tall." "

On a personal note, I believe that the reason that American's height
has been leveling off is mostly due to the large influx of immigrants,
who tend to be shorter, in the last 30 years.

Claudietta