Body height and socioeconomic status of females at different life stages

Abstract

Adult height reflects long-term nutritional status and exposure to infectious diseases, both of which are influenced by socioeconomic factors. Very little research has been done on these inequalities from a longitudinal perspective. This paper explores the links between body height at different life stages and socioeconomic characteristics. Data were obtained from 1008 Polish schoolgirls aged 16-18 years for whom earlier data on height were available. The height of each subject was measured. Socioeconomic status and age at menarche were assessed based on information received from the surveyed girls. Girls' heights in early life were ascertained from medical records. All girls were measured by trained school nurses at 7, 9 and 14 years of age. Socioeconomic status was found to be related to body height, but not to the rate of height gain during childhood and adolescence. Girls of a higher socioeconomic status were taller than girls of a lower socioeconomic status. On dividing the research material into homogeneous groups by maturity status, the same relationship was observed. No significant relationships were found between socioeconomic status and rate of height gain between ages 7 and 16, 17, 18 years. The findings suggest that socioeconomic variation in height is the result of living conditions during the first years of life. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012.