The average height of 18- and 19-year-old conscripts (N=458,322) in Switzerland from 1992 to 2009, and the secular height trend since 1878

Swiss Medical Weekly

Volumn 141, Issue JULY, 2011, Pages

  Staub, Kaspar ^a,b   Rühli, Frank J ^a   Woitek, Ulrich ^a   Pfister, Christian ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH   (Switzerland)

^b UNIVERSITY OF BERN   (Switzerland)

Author keywords

Conscription; Growth standard; Height; Male; Secular trend; Switzerland

Indexed keywords

ADULT; ANTHROPOMETRY; ARMY; ARTICLE; BODY HEIGHT; HISTORY; HUMAN; MILITARY PHENOMENA; SWITZERLAND; ADOLESCENT; MALE; SOLDIER;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; BODY HEIGHT; HUMANS; MALE; MILITARY PERSONNEL; SWITZERLAND; YOUNG ADULT;

EID: 80052199080     PISSN: 14247860     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.4414/smw.2011.13238     Document Type: Article

References (71)

1. Bogin B. Patterns of human growth. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
2. Eveleth PB, Tanner JM. Worldwide variation in human growth. 2nd ed. Cambridge 〈etc.〉: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
3. Cole TJ. The secular trend in human physical growth: a biological view. Econ Hum Biol. 2003;1(2):161-8. (Pubitemid 40432804)
4. Federico G. Heights, calories and welfare: a new perspective on Italian industrialization, 1854-1913. Econ Hum Biol. 2003;1(3):289-308.
5. Komlos J. Anthropometric history: an overview of a quarter century of research. Anthropol Anz. 2009;67(4):341-56.
6. Steckel RH. Heights and human welfare: Recent developments and new directions. Explorations in Economic History. 2009;46(1):1-23.
7. Nabholz A. Die Ergebnisse der ärztlichen Rekruten-Untersuchungen im Kanton Glarus 1884-1903. Glarus, 1904.
8. Staub K. Der biologische Lebensstandard in der Schweiz seit 1800. Historisch-anthropometrische Untersuchung der Körperhöhe (und des Körpergewichts in der Schweiz seit 1800, differenziert nach Geschlecht, sozioökonomischem und regionalem Hintergrund. PhD-Thesis, University of Bern, Bern, 2010.
9. Gohlke B, Woelfle J. Growth and puberty in German children: is there still a positive secular trend? Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2009;106(23):377-82.
10. Karlberg J. Secular trends in pubertal development. Horm Res. 2002;57(Suppl 2):19-30. (Pubitemid 34638995)
11. Cole TJ. Secular trends in growth. Proc Nutr Soc. 2000;59(2):317-24. (Pubitemid 30604752)
12. Hatton TJ, Bray BE. Long run trends in the heights of European men, 19th-20th centuries. Econ Hum Biol. 2010;8(3):405-13.
13. Steckel RH. Health and nutrition in the pre-industrial era: Insights from a millennium of average heights in Northern Europe. In: Allen RC, Bengtsson T, Dribe M, editors. Living standards in the past. New perspectives on well-being in Asia and Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005:227-53.
14. Floud R. The heights of Europeans since 1750: A new source for European economic history. In: Komlos J, editor. Stature, living standards and economic development. Essays in anthropometric history. Chicago, London, 1994:9-24.
15. Bopp M, Faeh D. End-digits preference for self-reported height depends on language. BMC Public Health. 2008;8:342.
16. Danubio ME, Miranda G, Vinciguerra MG, Vecchi E, Rufo F. Comparison of self-reported and measured height and weight: implications for obesity research among young adults. Econ Hum Biol. 2008;6(1):181-90. (Pubitemid 351248363)
17. Le Roy Ladurie E, Bernageau N. Étude sur un contingent militaire (1868): Mobilité géographique délinquance et stature, mises en rapport avec d'autres aspects de la situation des conscripts. Annales de Démographie Historique. 1971:311-37.
18. Weir DR. Economic welfare and physical well-being in France, 1750-1990. In: Steckel RH, Floud R, editors. Health and welfare during industrialization. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997:161-200.
19. van Meerten MA. Dévelopment économique et stature en France XIXe-XXe siècles. Annales Economies Sociétés Civilisations. 1990;45(3):755-78.
20. Heyberger L. La révolution des corps: décroissance et croissance staturale des habitants des villes et des campagnes en France, 1780-1940. Strasbourg: Presses Universitaires de Strasbourg, 2005.
21. Heyberger L. Toward an anthropometric history of provincial France, 1780-1920. Econ Hum Biol. 2007;5(2):229-54.
22. Twarog S. Heights and living standards in Germany, 1850-1939: The case of Württemberg. In: Steckel RH, Floud R, editors. Health and welfare during industrialization. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997:285-330.
23. Baten J. Ernährung und wirtschaftliche Entwicklung in Bayern: (1730-1880) [Zugl: Diss Univ München, 1997]. Komm. Franz Steiner Verlag, 1999.
24. Komlos J, Kriwy P. Social status and adult heights in the two Germanies. Ann Hum Biol. 2002;29(6):641-8. (Pubitemid 36021840)
25. Komlos J. Stature and nutrition in the Habsburg monarchy: the standard of living and economic development in the eighteenth century. Am Hist Rev. 1985;90(5):1149-61.
26. Komlos J. Anthropometric evidence on economic growth, biological well-being and regional convergence in the Habsburg Monarchy, c. 1850-1910. Cliometrica. 2007;1:211-37.
27. Weber G, Seidler H, Wilfing H, Hauser G. Secular change in height in Austria: an effect of population stratification? Ann Hum Biol. 1995;22(4):277-88.
28. Seidler H. Variations in body height in 18-year-old males in Austria. Anthropol Anz. 1986;44(3):189-213.
29. Jaeger U, Zellner K, Kromeyer-Hauschild K, Ludde R, Eisele R, Hebebrand J. Body height, body weight and body mass index of German military recruits. Historical retrospect and current status. Anthropol Anz. 2001;59(3):251-73.
30. Hermanussen M, Burmeister J, Burkhardt V. Stature and stature distribution in recent West German and historic samples of Italian and Dutch conscripts. Am J Hum Biol. 1995;7:507-15.
31. Deaton A. Height, health, and development. Proc Natl Acad Sci. U S A 2007;104(33):13232-7. (Pubitemid 47293928)
32. Garcia J, Quintana-Domeque C. The evolution of adult height in Europe: a brief note. Econ Hum Biol. 2007;5(2):340-9. (Pubitemid 46865589)
33. Schmidt IM, Jorgensen MH, Michaelsen KF. Height of conscripts in Europe: is postneonatal mortality a predictor? Ann Hum Biol. 1995;22(1):57-67.
34. Larnkaer A, Attrup Schroder S, Schmidt IM, Horby Jorgensen M, Fleischer Michaelsen K. Secular change in adult stature has come to a halt in northern Europe and Italy. Acta Paediatr. 2006;95(6):754-5. (Pubitemid 43879575)
35. Susanne C, Bodzsar E, Bielicki T, Hauspie R, Hulanicka B, Lepage Y, et al. Changements séculaires de la croissance et du dévelopement en Europe. Antropo. 2001;0:71-90.
36. Danubio ME, Sanna E. Secular changes in human biological variables in Western countries: an updated review and synthesis. J Anthropol Sci. 2008;86:91-112.
37. Komlos J, Baur M. From the tallest to (one of) the fattest: the enigmatic fate of the American population in the 20th century. Econ Hum Biol. 2004;2(1):57-74.
38. Komlos J, Lauderdale BE. The mysterious trend in American heights in the 20th century. Ann Hum Biol. 2007;34(2):206-15.
39. Hermanussen M. Die Körperhöhe deutscher Wehrpflichtiger vor und nach der deutschen Wiedervereinigung. Medwelt. 1995;46:395-6.
40. Kriwy P, Komlos J, Bauer M. Soziale Schicht und Körperhöhe in Ost- und Westdeutschland. Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie. 2003;55(3):543-56.
41. Prader A, Largo RH, Molinari L, Issler C. Physical growth of Swiss children from birth to 20 years of age. First Zurich longitudinal study of growth and development. Helv Paediatr Acta Suppl. 1989;52:1-125.
42. Exner GU. Normalwerte in Wachstum und Entwicklung: die Basis für Diagnostik und Therapie / 29 Tabellen. 2., vollst. überarb. und aktualisierte Aufl. ed. Stuttgart: Georg Thieme, 2003.
43. Schweiz. Bundesamt für Statistik. Schweizerische Gesundheitsbefragung 2007 [Elektronische Daten]: Standardtabellen = Enquête suisse sur la santé 2007 = Indagine sulla salute in Svizzera 2007. Neuchâtel: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Bundesamt für Statistik BFS, 2009.
44. Rühli F, Henneberg M, Woitek U. Variability of height, weight and body mass index in a Swiss Armed Forces 2005 census. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2008;137(4):457-68.
45. Ziegler E. The cause of accelerated growth. Observations in the fields of nutritional physiology and medical history on sugar consumption in modern man. Helv Paediatr Acta. 1966;21(1):(Suppl 15):1-95.
46. Schweiz. Bundesamt für Statistik. Aushebung: schulische und berufliche Ausbildung sowie körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit von Stellungspflichtigen und MFD-Anwärterinnen = Recrutement: la formation scolaire et professionnelle et les aptitudes physiques des conscrits et des candidates au SFA. Neuchâtel: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft, Bundesamt für Statistik BFS, 1989.
47. Rühli FJ, Henneberg M, Schaer DJ, Imhof A, Schleiffenbaum B, Woitek U. Determinants of inter-individual cholesterol level variation in an unbiased young male sample. Swiss Med Wkly. 2008;138(19-20):286-91. (Pubitemid 351775241)
48. Staub K, Rühli FJ, Woitek U, Pfister C. BMI distribution/social stratification in Swiss conscripts from 1875 to present. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010;64(4):335-40.
49. Schoch T, Staub K, Pfister C. Social inequality, the biological standard of living, and body shapes. An analysis of Swiss conscription data 1875-1950. Econ Hum Biol. 2011;May 11 (Epub ahead of print).
50. Schweiz. Statistisches Bureau. Mittheilungen betreffend die ärztlichen Untersuchungen (der Wehrpflichtigen) bei der Rekrutirung für die Jahre 1878 und 1879 = Rapport concernant la visite sanitaire passée lors du recrutement pour les arrnées 1878 et 1879. Bern, 1879.
51. Schweiz. Statistisches Bureau. Resultate der aerztlichen Rekrutenuntersuchung im Herbste 1884-1891. Schweizerische Statistik 1884-1891;62, 65, 68, 72, 77, 81, 85, 96.
52. Schweiz. Statistisches Amt. Graphisch-statistischer Atlas der Schweiz / Atlas graphique et statistique de la Suisse publ. par le Bureau de statistique du Département fédéral de l'intérieur. Bern: Kümmerly und Frey, 1914.
53. Pittard E, Lobsiger-Dellenbach M. L'augmentation de la stature en Suisse au cours de 25 ans. Berne: Stämpfli & Cie, 1931.
54. Schlaginhaufen O. Aus den Ergebnissen der anthropologischen Untersuchungen an den schweizerischen Stellungspflichtigen. Zürich: Orell Füssli, 1946.
55. Schlaginhaufen O. Anthropologia Helvetica: Ergebnisse anthropologischer Untersuchungen an den schweizerischen Stellungspflichtigen. Zürich: Orell Füssli, 1946.
56. Kurz HR. Geschichte der Schweizer Armee. Frauenfeld: Huber, 1985.
57. Tanner JM. A history of the study of human growth. Cambridge [etc]: Cambridge University Press, 1981.
58. McEvoy BP, Visscher PM. Genetics of human height. Econ Hum Biol. 2009;7(3):294-306.
59. Hoppe C, Mølgaard C, Michaelsen KF. Cow's milk and linear growth in industrialized and developing countries. Annu Rev Nutr. 2006;26:131-73.
60. Steckel RH. Stature and the standard of living. Journal of Economic Literature 1995;33(4):1903-40.
61. Herpin N. Love, careers, and heights in France, 2001. Econ Hum Biol. 2005(3):420-49.
62. Studer R. When did the Swiss get so rich? Comparing living standards in Switzerland and Europe, 1800-1913. J Eur Economic History. 2008;37(2):405-51.
63. Komlos J. Stagnation of heights among second-generation U.S.-Born Army personnel. Social Science Quarterly. 2008;89(2):445-55.
64. Komlos J, Brabec M. The trend of mean BMI values of US adults, birth cohorts 1882-1986 indicates that the obesity epidemic began earlier than hitherto thought. Am J Hum Biol. 2010;22(5):631-8.
65. Komlos J, Breitfelder A. Are Americans shorter (partly) because they are fatter? A comparison of US and Dutch children's height and BMI values. Ann Hum Biol. 2007;34(6):593-606. (Pubitemid 351412256)
66. Komlos J, Breitfelder A, Sunder M. The transition to post-industrial BMI values among US children. Am J Hum Biol. 2009;21(2):151-60.
67. Pfister C. The "1950s syndrome" and the transition from a slow-going to a rapid loss of global sustainability. In: Uekoetter F, editor. The Turning Points of Environmental History. Pittsburgh: Univ of Pittsburgh, 2010:90-118.
68. Kremer R, Campbell PP, Reinhardt T, Gilsanz V. Vitamin D status and its relationship to body fat, final height, and peak bone mass in young women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94(1):67-73.
69. Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(3):266-81.
70. Holick MF. The vitamin D epidemic and its health consequences. J Nutr. 2005;135(11):2739S-48S.
71. Ginde AA, Liu MC, Camargo CA, Jr. Demographic differences and trends of vitamin D insufficiency in the US population, 1988-2004. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(6):626-32.