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Asians experienced some of the most significant growth spurts over the last 100 years, according to a recent extensive study of people’s height around the world.
Research led by scientists at Imperial College London and published in the journal eLife discovered that men and women from Hong Kong, the mainland, South Korea and Japan have become taller.
Hongkongers jumped in the ranking of 200 countries and territories by gender and nationality. In comparing 1914 figures with 2014 figures, the city saw its women rise from a ranking of 176 to 99 and its men ascend 87 places to 66.
If you’re short or fat, you’ll likely be less educated, have a worse job and earn less than tall people
Mainland women also saw a spurt over the same period, up from 134 to 87, with their male counterparts improving from 130 to 93.
Hongkongers overall gained a respectable 13cm, going froma mean height of 146cm to 159cm. They closed ground on mainland Chinese, who on average went from 150cm to 160cm.
South Korean women claimed the title for most significant improvement, leaping from 196 to 55 on the strength of their gaining 20.2cm in height on average. South Korean men fared well, too, surging 100 places to 51.
Japanese men moved up from 187 to 102, while Japanese women leapt 83 places to 112.
Imperial College professor of public health Majid Ezzati said the study offered “a picture of the health of nations over the past century”. He said the findings underlined the need “to address children and adolescents’ environment and nutrition on a global scale”.
The 800-strong research team, which worked with the World Health Organisation, drew upon varied data such as military conscription figures, health and nutrition population surveys and epidemiological studies.
The scientists generated height information for 18-year-old men and women in 1914 and compiled data for that particular age though 2014.
Dutch men and Latvian women claimed the title of the tallest people in the study, with Dutch men at 183cm on average and Latvian women at 170cm.
The difference between the tallest and shortest countries in 2014 was about 23cm for men – an increase of 4cm on the height gap in 1914. The height difference between the tallest and shortest countries for women remained the same over the 100-year period, at about 20cm.
(SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST)
