Tall Men Research Articles

Do blind people share the tall-man stereotype?

The stereotype of a tall man has been reported in numerous studies. High stature is commonly associated with advantages such as leadership skills, wealth, intelligence or social status, and actual differences between the short and the tall men were indeed found for these traits, mainly in favor of the tall men. It is not certain, however, whether the height-related effects are biologically determined or if they result from socially-driven mechanisms. In this study we wanted to explore whether congenitally blind individuals, who are unable to perceive other people’s stature through the most salient, visual channel, share the positive, height-related stereotype. Thirty-four congenitally blind and forty-three sighted men and women rated four positive characteristics of a tall or a short man. It was found that none of the traits assigned to the tall man by the sighted people was assigned to this person by the blind individuals. In the congenitally blind group, no differences between the assessments of the tall and the short man were revealed. We discuss our findings in the context of social perception and stereotypes research.

Clinical Characteristics and Predictors of Recurrence and Surgical Management of Pneumothorax

Most cases of pneumothorax comprise primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP), which usually occurs in young, tall men and results from rupture of subpleural blebs or bullae. Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP), on the other hand, is associated with an underlying lung disease, such as emphysema or asthma; acute or chronic infections; lung cancer; and congenital disease, including cystic fibrosis, catamenial pneumothorax, and lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Neumotórax

Pneumothorax is defined as the presence of air or gas in the potential space between the visceral and parietal pleura of the lung, causing lung collapse (total or partial). It is classified as spontaneous pneumothorax, primary or secondary, iatrogenic or traumatic. Primary spontaneous pneumothorax has an imprecise incidence (varying among 18-28/100,000 cases/year in men, and 1.2-6/100,000 in women). Main risk factors are: age (young people), smoking, and leptosomic phenotypes (tall and thin men). Early diagnosis is necessary, by the use of imaging test, in order to avoid disease complications. Evacuating air from the pleural space is the main goal of the treatment. According to the etiology, the number of episodes, the size of pneumothorax and patient tolerance, several therapeutic options are available.

Effect of reclining angle on lumbar lordosis at driving posture: A radiological evaluation.

Optimal seatback angles for automobile drivers' seats have been investigated based on comfort and back muscle activities; however, radiology supported evidences are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate optimal range of the seatback reclining regarding torso angles for an automobile driver's seat to preserve lumbar lordosis. Thirty-one healthy volunteers were recruited among five body type categories. Lateral lumbar spine X-rays were obtained for the neutral sitting posture without seatback (reference), and with reclining angles of 23∘ to 33∘ by 2∘ intervals. The Cobb angles for the L1-L4, L4-S1, and L1-S1 segments were measured. The Cobb angle for L4-S1 was nearest to the reference (18.74 ± 1.57∘, mean ± standard error mean) at reclining angles of 29∘ and 31∘ (14.51 ± 1.41∘ and 14.47 ± 1.43∘, respectively). The Cobb angle at L4-S1 between reclining angles of 27∘(12.02 ± 1.31∘) and 29∘ (14.51 ± 1.41∘) were significantly different (p< 0.001). Tall men showed relatively preserved lordosis angles at all reclining angles. Fat men and short women demonstrated prominent loss of lordosis with excessively kyphotic L1-L4 segment. Reclining angles of 29∘ to 31∘ revealed to be optimal for preserving lordosis at the L4-S1 segment. Individualized healthcare-related guideline for driver's seat adjustment setting is necessary.

Risk Factors for Training-Related Injuries During U.S. Army Basic Combat Training.

Injuries during basic combat training (BCT) impact military health and readiness in the U.S. Army. Identifying risk factors is crucial for injury prevention, but few Army-wide studies to identify risk factors for injury during BCT have been completed to date. This study examines associations between individual and training-related characteristics and injuries during Army BCT. Using administrative data from the Total Army Injury and Health Outcomes Database (TAIHOD), we identified individuals who apparently entered BCT for the first time between 1 January 2002 and 30 September 2007, based on review of administrative records. Injuries were identified and categorized based on coded medical encounter data. When combined with dates of medical services, we could count injuries per person, identify unique injuries, and identify the quantity and type of medical care delivered. Regression models produced odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to identify risk factors for injury during BCT (yes/no), adjusted for potential confounders. Of the 278,045 (83.4%) men and 55,302 (16.6%) women who were apparently first-time trainees, 39.5% (n = 109,760) of men and 60.9% (n = 33,699) of women were injured during training based on over 2 million recorded medical encounters entries. The large cohort yielded statistically significant, small magnitude associations between injury and all individual and training-related covariates for men, and all but medical accession waivers and weight for women. After adjustment, largest magnitude effects among men were due to age > 25 yr vs. 17-18 yr (OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.75, 1.91); having been married in the past vs. being single (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.24, 1.49); rank E4-E7 vs. E1 (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.53. 0.59); training at Ft. Jackson (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.69), Ft. Leonard Wood (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.70), or Ft. Knox (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 066, 0.72) vs. Ft. Benning. Odds of injury were highest during 2005, 2006, and 2007. After adjustment for weight and body mass index, taller men had higher odds of BCT injury than average height men (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.11). Among women, short stature (OR = 1.11; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.19), training at Ft Leonard Wood (OR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.16) and evidence of injury prior to training based on accession waiver (OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.26) increased injury risk. This Army-wide analysis reveals higher BCT-related injury rates for both men and women than prior studies and identifies risk factors for injuries during BCT. The large data set allows adjustment for many covariates, but because statistical analysis may yield significant findings for small differences, results must be interpreted based on minimally important differences determined by military and medical professionals. Results provide information that may be used to adapt training or medical screening and examination procedures for basic trainees.

Fat or fiction? Effects of body size, eating pathology, and sex upon the body schema of an undergraduate population

Although there is a growing consensus that women with anorexia nervosa have a distorted body schema, the origins of this disturbance remain uncertain. The present investigation examined the effects of body size, eating pathology, and sex upon the body schema of an at-risk, undergraduate population. In Study 1, 98 participants mentally simulated their passage through apertures. When aperture width was manipulated, narrow and broad women over- and under-estimated their spatial requirements for passage, respectively. This relationship was exacerbated by dietary restraint. When aperture height was manipulated, short and tall men over- and under-estimated their spatial requirements for passage, respectively. Study 2 (N=32) replicated the association between women’s veridical and internally-represented widths, although no significant effects of eating pathology were observed. Our findings suggest that body schema enlargement is not necessarily pathological, and may be driven by normal perceptual biases and internalised sociocultural body ideals.

Big and tall: Does a height premium dwarf an obesity penalty in the labor market?

Previous studies have shown that both height and weight are associated with wages. However, some gaps in our understanding of the relationship between body size and wages remain. For example, given a height premium and an obesity penalty, due to forces working in opposite directions, the current literature is unable to provide clear answers to questions such as whether a tall obese woman or a short healthy weight woman would earn a higher wage premium. Using Australian data and iso-contour wage curves derived from a semi-parametric wage regression model, this paper illustrates the complex nature of the relationship between height, weight and wages and how the nature of these differences depends on gender and age. As adult height is fixed, a key focus of the paper is illustrating for various height ranges whether there are any wage benefits in the labor market to increasing or decreasing one’s weight. For individuals aged 25–54 as a whole, I find that there are strong effects of weight reduction at lower ends of the height distribution for females (between 1.50–1.70m) but not for males (<1.65m). For relatively taller men (>1.85m), a wage premium is found for being overweight. For relatively taller women (>1.72m), no penalty for being overweight is discernible.

Tall men 'more at risk from aggressive prostate cancer'.

Tall men are at greater risk of dying from aggressive prostate cancer, research has shown.

Needing more: the case for extra high compression for tall men in UK leg ulcer management

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The relationship between adult stature and longevity: tall men are unlikely to outlive their short peers – evidence from a study of all adult deaths in Poland in the years 2004–2008

Early epidemiological studies demonstrated that short stature is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, lower energy intake or food deprivation during growth, poor health, and increased all-cause mortality. Nevertheless, the links between adult height and longevity become tenuous if certain confounders (e.g. BMI, SES, educational attainment, etc.) are allowed for. Furthermore, numerous studies have found that like excess weight, tallness is costly in terms of longevity in late ontogeny, and shorter people tend to outlive their taller peers, especially if they are slim and maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. Therefore, there is currently a lack of agreement in the literature as to whether and how body height and lifespan are linked. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between adult stature and longevity on the basis of a large sample from a population-based cohort study. Data on declared height and exact dates of birth and death were available from 480,493 men and 364,666 women who died in the years 2004-2008 in Poland. To control for secular changes, the sample was divided into fifteen birth cohorts and each group was subsequently split into five height categories using pentiles, separately for both sexes. The analysis has revealed an inverse relationship between height and lifespan in men and women. However, after controlling for secular changes in height, the relationship turned out to be very weak and linear in men, and inverted U-shaped in women. In general, taller individuals had lower age at death compared to shorter ones, and this relationship was more pronounced and consistent in men. To sum up, these findings do not comport with the traditional belief that taller individuals live longer. The role of several possible biological mechanisms pertinent to enhanced longevity in smaller individuals was emphasized, and these biological factors were discussed.

Cultural encounters along the Missouri River: Nineteenth century Euroamerican portrayals of the Arikara and contemporary Sahnish responses

They are tall stout men, coarsely featured, their women small & industrious, raise great quantities of corn beans &c. also tobacco for the men to smoke. They collect all the wood and do the drudger...

VEGETATIVE SUPPORT OF CARDIAC ACTIVITY IN ATHLETES WITH DIFFERENT ANTHROPOMETRIC PROFILE

The purpose of research – to study the features of the functioning of the cardiovascular system and regulatory mechanisms of the young athletes of different heights. Materials and methods. The study included athletes aged 15-16 (32 girls and 36 boys) engaged in competitive sports. To study the autonomic regulation of the cardiovascular system using mathematical methods and spectral analysis of heart rate variability. To characterize the vegetative support the circulatory apparatus, all subjects performed an active orthostatic test. Results. The features of vegetative maintenance of heart activity in tall athletes: stress regulatory mechanisms observed resting in tall men and decrease the functionality of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system during active orthostatic test in athletes of different sex. Athletes tall urgent adaptation of the cardiovascular system to changing external conditions associated with activation of suprasegmental divisions of the autonomic nervous system and the excessive activation of the sympathetic division, which is an inefficient way of adaptation. Conclusion. Thus, high growth is evident not only in the increase of total size of the body of athletes, but also in the peculiarities of morphofunctional state involved, indicating the need of individual rationing of loads for tall players. The revealed morphofunctional characteristics of the organism tall athletes allow us to recommend an increase in the proportion of aerobic exercise to enhance the adaptive capacities of the organism.

Does a taller husband make his wife happier?

Although it has been known that women prefer tall men in mating for evolutionary reasons, no study has investigated whether a taller husband makes his wife happier. We analyzed two datasets (N=7850) that are, together, representative of the Indonesian population to determine whether this is true. A greater height difference in a couple was positively related to the wife's happiness. This relationship gradually weakened over time and entirely dissipated by 18years of marital duration. The husband's resourcefulness was a minor mediator in the relationship. We thus argue that the husband's height and its correlates made his wife initially happy, but their influence waned over time. Nevertheless, the long period of the dissipation indicates a powerful impact of male height on women's psychology, probably prepared by evolution.

Body size across the life course and prostate cancer in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

Current evidence of an association between body size and prostate cancer is conflicting, possibly due to differential effects of body size across the lifespan and the heterogeneity of the disease. We therefore examined childhood and adult body size in relation to total incident prostate cancer and prognostic subtypes in a prospective cohort of 47,491 US men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. We assessed adult height, body mass index (BMI) in early and middle-to-late adulthood, adult waist circumference, and body shape at age 10. With follow-up from 1986 to 2010, we estimated the relative risk (RR) of prostate cancer using Cox proportional hazards models. We identified 6,183 incident cases. Tallness was associated with increased risk of advanced-stage tumors, particularly fatal disease (RR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.23-2.23, highest vs. lowest quintile, ptrend < 0.001). High BMI at age 21 was inversely associated with total prostate cancer (RR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.80-0.98, BMI ≥ 26 vs. 20-21.9, ptrend = 0.01) and with fatal and advanced disease. The association for late adult BMI differed by age (pinteraction < 0.001); high BMI was inversely associated with total prostate cancer (RR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.51-0.78, BMI ≥ 30 vs. 21-22.9, ptrend <0.001) and with non-advanced and less aggressive tumors among men ≤ 65 years, whereas no association was seen among men >65 years. Adult waist circumference was weakly inversely associated with less aggressive disease. Childhood obesity was unclearly related to risk. Our study confirms tall men to be at increased risk of fatal and advanced prostate cancer. The influence of adiposity varies by prognostic disease subtype and by age. The relationship between body size and prostate cancer is complex. Body size changes progressively throughout life and consequent effects on prostate cancer risk may be associated with related changes in hormonal and metabolic pathways. This large prospective study examined potential associations between the risk of various prostate cancer subtypes and multiple anthropometric measures at different ages in men. Tallness was confirmed to be associated with an elevated risk of advanced prostate cancer, particularly fatal disease. The extent to which body weight influenced risk varied according to factors such as age and disease subtype.

In the Land of Kan’an

In the Land of Kan’an Dima Alzayat (bio) Hayya ‘ala s-salah. Hayya ‘ala ‘l-falah. Farid answers the call. Stands between two men that connect him to a row of two dozen others, to fourteen centuries of millions more. All facing al-Baytu l-‘Atīq: The Primordial House, home of the Black Stone. A stone whiter than milk when it fell from Paradise only to be turned as dark as night by the sons of Adam and their sins. He stares down past hands folded one over the other on his rounded belly. Eyes trace blue lines that intertwine to form the octagons and hexagons and other–agons woven through the crimson wool beneath his bare feet. Allahu-akbar. Forward he leans. Palms on knees, back forming a ninety-degree angle with bent legs, stiff joints. The recitations turn and tumble in his mind like old acquaintances. Glory to my Lord, the Most Magnificent. Repeat and repeat. Allahu-akbar. Up for a moment and then back down. All the way down this time. The carpet is rough against his forehead, its scent heavy and stale. He fills his lungs. Glory to my Lord, the Most High, the Most Praiseworthy. Inhales again and drinks the sweet mustiness like a newborn takes its mother’s milk, all-filling, all-fulfilling. When he exhales, he can feel the breath leave his lungs, exit his mouth, but it does not blend into the air around him. Just lifts and hovers above his head, waiting to be reclaimed at the door. Allahu-akbar. And up and down again and two more times until he is sitting, staring at the feet of the Pakistani man in front of him. The soles of the feet yellowed. The skin dry, cracked. That night, you lie on your bed and stare at the ceiling. Listen to Amina’s heavy breathing. You kick off the quilt, leave only the sheet. Pull both up. Kick both off. Amina mumbles and turns toward you, her lids closed. On [End Page 132] her face a clear gel mask has cooled and dried. You reach out and let your fingers graze its hard smooth surface. She opens an eye. “What are you doing?” “I can’t sleep.” “Say Bismallah. Bismallah.” She turns over and pulls the quilt up to her chin. You wait for the first soft snore before you grab the khakis and navy sweater off the armchair and head downstairs. The moonlight cuts into the living room in streaks and you dress in a strip of darkness. It’s almost midnight and the street is silent. House and lawn connect to house and lawn. Glowing jack-o’-lanterns stare from their porches and stoops. Witches laugh and goblins glare as you get in your car. Your hands steer you north on San Vicente, turn you right onto Santa Monica. Neon lights in purple, red, and green. Fiesta Cantina, Rage, the Abbey. Lines wrap around street corners. Small groups walk from bar to club. Thin boys in bright tight t-shirts and stonewashed jeans tucked into leather high-tops. Men with silver hair don blazers over white v-necks that plunge deep toward sculpted chests. Broad shoulders in sequin dresses and bright blonde wigs; strappy sandals lift frames of statuesque proportions. You roll down the window, and the beat washes over you, cracking the car’s silence with drums and cymbals. Uhn tiss uhn tiss uhn tiss. The pulse of voices and music floods the car. You stop at a red light. As people cross, their conversations fill your ears. You pretend they’re speaking to you. Let’s go to Fubar. No, long lines. Let’s go to Akbar. No, too far. Besides, everyone there has a beard. I don’t want my dick scratched up by some lumberjack. Laughter. A young woman walks in impossibly high heels. She’s flanked by two tall men whose arms link through hers, helping her balance on spikes of leather and plastic. One of the men is thirty, thirty-five. He has a trimmed mustache, wide shoulders, and a narrow waist. The muscles of his thighs push against tight blue jeans. You...

Body height, mobility, and risk of first and recurrent venous thrombosis

Tall people have an increased risk of a first venous thrombosis. Sedentary lifestyle has been shown to act synergistically with body height, especially during long-haul flights. To estimate the relation between height and risk of a first and recurrent venous thrombosis and a possible additional association with a mobile or an immobile lifestyle. Patients with a first venous thrombosis and control subjects were included between 1999 and 2004 (MEGA case-control study). Patients were followed for recurrence for an average time of 5.1years (MEGA follow-up study). Odds ratios and hazard ratios (HRs) per increase of 5cm were calculated compared with a height of 165-170cm, separately and in combination with (im)mobility. In 4464 patients who reported their height, we found an increasing risk of a first and recurrent event with height. For men, a 2.9-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-4.4) increased risk for first venous thrombosis was found for those between 195 and 200cm and a 3.8-fold (95% CI 1.5-9.8) higher risk for those >200cm compared with the reference category. For recurrence risk, the HRs were 1.7 (95% CI 0.8-3.3) and 3.7 (95% CI 1.4-10.0), respectively. For women, a 1.5-fold (95% CI 0.7-3.4) and 3-fold (95% CI 0.9-9.4) increased risk was found for those >185cm for first and recurrent venous thrombosis, respectively. For the tallest men and women, a slight additionally increased risk was observed for sedentary lifestyle. Tall men and women have an increased risk of first and recurrent venous thrombosis, possibly higher in combination with a sedentary lifestyle.

An anatomic study of nipple position and areola size in Asian men.

In planning gender-reassignment surgery for biological women and treating men with gynecomastia, surgeons must have a thorough understanding of anatomically correct nipple positions and appropriate areola sizes in men. The authors sought to determine whether body height or body mass index (BMI) affects nipple position or areola size in men. Anatomic measurements of the nipples and areolae of 50 Japanese men were obtained. A relative coordinate system was defined, where the medial-lateral and superior-inferior positions of the nipple were quantitatively indicated by distance ratios between anatomic landmarks. Nipple positions were evaluated for each patient by referring to this coordinate system, and the positions were compared between groups categorized by body height or BMI. Nipple position was not significantly affected by body height. However, the nipple tended to be located more laterally in participants with higher BMI. The vertical nipple position differed between standing and supine positions. Tall men had larger areolae than short men; however, areola size did not differ with respect to BMI. Nipple position and areola size vary by body shape. Consideration of the differences is recommended when performing procedures such as female-to-male gender-reassignment surgery or correction of gynecomastia.

Biological Well-Being in Late 19th Century Philippines

This paper investigates the biological standard of living toward the end of Spanish rule. We investigate levels, trends, and determinants of physical stature from the birth cohorts of the 1860s to the 1890s using data on 23,000 Filipino soldiers enlisted by the U.S. military between 1901 and 1913. We use truncated regression technique for estimating average height and use province level information for investigating the determinants of biological wellbeing. The results indicate a decline of more than 1.5 cm cm (0.6 inches) in the height of soldiers born between the early 1870s and the late 1880s. The decline in heights at the end of the 19th century occurred at a time when there was an expansion of commercial activity in cash crop production for export. Heights did not regain the level of the 1870s until the late 1930s and early 1940s. We also find that at 159.3 cm (62.7 inches), the average height of soldiers born in the mid-1870s was very short even for the time. The low biological standard of living in late 19th century was not due to the tropical disease environment alone since taller men were found in the same period in other parts of Asia.

Height and Income Attraction: An Online Dating Field Experiment

Many desirable traits are associated with height. However, most studies of marriage or dating do not control for height and these other qualities simultaneously. Other factors may confound the influence of height, or more importantly, height may confound the influence of other factors. We contribute to this literature by randomly assigning heights and incomes to 360 unique artificial profiles on a major online dating website in China. We then recorded nearly 800 “visits” — clicks on abbreviated profiles, which include height and income information, from search engine results. We found that the incomes of our visitors were highly correlated with their heights. Men’s incomes increased by 24% while women’s by 15% for every inch (2.5 cm) increase in height. Tall men preferred and were preferred by tall women, who were themselves both preferred by medium women and men, respectively. Men were indifferent to women’s incomes, but women preferred higher income men. Interestingly, short women were the least likely to visit short men, both among all heights of men they visited and among women of all heights. They also were more willing to trade-off mate income for mate height than medium women. This suggests that women’s marginal utility for height may reflect concern for the height of their children’s in the context of widespread height discrimination.

Body height, immunity, facial and vocal attractiveness in young men.

Health, facial and vocal attributes and body height of men may affect a diverse range of social outcomes such as attractiveness to potential mates and competition for resources. Despite evidence that each parameter plays a role in mate choice, the relative role of each and inter-relationships between them, is still poorly understood. In this study, we tested relationships both between these parameters and with testosterone and immune function. We report positive relationships between testosterone with facial masculinity and attractiveness, and we found that facial masculinity predicted facial attractiveness and antibody response to a vaccine. Moreover, the relationship between antibody response to a hepatitis B vaccine and body height was found to be non-linear, with a positive relationship up to a height of 188cm, but an inverse relationship in taller men. We found that vocal attractiveness was dependent upon vocal masculinity. The relationship between vocal attractiveness and body height was also non-linear, with a positive relationship of up to 178cm, which then decreased in taller men. We did not find a significant relationship between body height and the fundamental frequency of vowel sounds provided by young men, while body height negatively correlated with the frequency of second formant. However, formant frequency was not associated with the strength of immune response. Our results demonstrate the potential of vaccination research to reveal costly traits that govern evolution of mate choice in humans and the importance of trade-offs among these traits.