Taller People Research Articles

Do tall people indeed have leadership skills? Evidence from 12th graders

ABSTRACT Extant literature shows that tall people are more likely to hold leadership positions. However, no studies have examined whether these individuals possess leadership skills. In this study, we conducted an analysis using a South Korean government-sponsored survey of 4,000 12th graders containing information on leadership skills evaluated by their homeroom teachers. Homeroom teachers in the country are well positioned to perform the task as they spend significant time interacting with students and observing their behaviours. We found that a 1 cm increase in height increased the probability of having the skills by 1.0% point for males and 0.7% points for females. Our findings are robust with the addition of control variables such as academic performance. Furthermore, an analysis based on the evaluations of parents who are unlikely to have exact information on how tall their children are relative to their peers demonstrated a similar result to the original analysis. Finally, we found that serving on student councils was the most important mechanism for the height effect.

Relationship between living rooms with void spaces or partially high ceilings and psychological well-being: A cross-sectional study in Japan

In a building environment, it can be inferred that not only the size of the space but also its height influences the well-being of the occupants through their daily living space. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between perceived ceiling height and occupant's well-being in residential environments. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived ceiling height in living spaces and well-being in the general population. A total of 3859 Japanese aged 20–69 years were included in the analysis through an online survey. Psychological well-being was assessed using the World Health Organization-5 Well-Being Index, and the perceived ceiling height was based on whether the living space had a void space or a partially high ceiling. The relative risk (RR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) of perceived ceiling height for poor psychological well-being were estimated using a modified Poisson regression. A significant association was found between higher living room ceilings and better psychological well-being, especially for taller males (RR 0.894, 95 % CI 0.894–0.960). This association was consistent across different housing types, including detached house (RR 0.905, 95 % CI 0.829–0.988) and apartments (RR 0.849, 95 % CI 0.745–0.968). In contrast, no similar association was found among shorter males and females. These findings suggest that taller people, especially males, may benefit psychologically from living in high-ceiling dwellings.

Adolescents’ height and cognitive ability in China

Cognitive ability, as an early human capital, has always been an important research object in modern education and labor economics. Despite growing awareness of the importance of height in individual growth and development, there are few empirical studies on height and cognitive ability. Using the data from the China Education Panel Survey, this paper examined the impact of height on the cognitive ability of adolescents and explored the reasons behind the Chinese pursuit of height growth and the potential impact mechanism. In this paper, comprehensive analysis ability was taken as the representative of cognitive ability. The empirical results showed that height was positively correlated with cognitive ability. From the perspective of the influence mechanism, the hypothesis that height reflected self-esteem, health, non-cognitive ability, and other influences on cognitive ability was excluded. To correct the errors that endogenous problems may cause, we used the PSM method and “age at first menstruation " and “age at first wet dream” as instrumental variables to correct them. The results showed that height still affected cognitive ability, with taller people having higher cognitive ability.

‘We are looking for people like you’ – new technique of social influence as a tool of improving response rate in surveys

ABSTRACT A low response rate in surveys makes the research more expensive and time consuming, but it also, or even more importantly, constitutes a major methodological problem. Therefore, researchers use all kinds of measures in order to increase the response rate. This article describes four experiments (three field studies and one on-line experiment) designed to test a specific technique intended for this purpose. The technique consists in suggesting, to a respondent, that the study requires individuals with a certain rare quality that they have. In the case of the first study, which was conducted during the pandemic, respondents were told that it required people wearing exactly the type of face mask as theirs (or people without a face mask). In the second study, tall people were asked to complete a survey. Some of them were told right away that only tall individuals were considered suitable candidates for the study. In both cases, this technique significantly improved the response rate. However, the employed technique proved ineffective in both Study 3 and Study 4. In these instances, participants likely perceived that their refusal wouldn’t pose any inconvenience to the researchers. Consequently, we can posit that the efficacy of the ’we are looking for people like you’ social influence technique hinges on respondents feeling compelled to respond affirmatively to the research invitation. The assumption is that declining may potentially create challenges for the researchers, prompting a sense of obligation among participants.

The Retail Food Environment Index and its association with dietary patterns, body mass index, and socioeconomic position: A multilevel assessment in Mexico.

In Mexico, 75% of the population are affected by overweight or obesity, and the availability and affordability of high-calorie-dense foods and beverages are high. This study tested the association between the retail food environment index (RFEI), dietary patterns, body mass index (BMI), and socioeconomic position (SEP) in Mexico. Cross-sectional diet, health, and sociodemographic population-based secondary data analyses were conducted. The RFEI was calculated by dividing the total number of fast-food outlets and convenience stores by the total number of supermarkets and fruit and vegetable stores per census tract area. Associations between BMI, dietary patterns, SEP and the RFEI were tested using multilevel linear regression, including interactions of the RFEI with SEP, gender, and age. Living in neighbourhoods with a higher RFEI was associated with a 0.01kg/m2 higher BMI (β = 0.01, 95%CI: 0.0005, 0.02, p = 0.04), equivalent to a mean 0.046 weight gain for a 1.60m tall person per 10% higher RFEI. Unhealthy dietary patterns were more likely in neighbourhoods with a higher RFEI (β = 0.100, 95%CI: 0.03, 0.12, p = 0.001). Multilevel linear regression showed that lower SEP households had a higher RFEI compared to higher SEP households (β = 0.020, 95% CI: -0.006 to 0.04, p = 0.10). Generalised structural equation models revealed a graded relationship between RFEI and SEP, showing that lower SEP households were exposed to a higher RFEI (β = 0.060, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.07, p < 0.001.) The study identified significant associations between higher proportions of fast-food outlets and convenience stores, higher BMI, and unhealthy dietary patterns. It was particularly evident that low-income populations are more likely to be exposed to obesogenic food environments.

Identification of novel genes including NAV2 associated with isolated tall stature.

Very tall people attract much attention and represent a clinically and genetically heterogenous group of individuals. Identifying the genetic etiology can provide important insights into the molecular mechanisms regulating linear growth. We studied a three-generation pedigree with five isolated (non-syndromic) tall members and one individual with normal stature by whole exome sequencing; the tallest man had a height of 211cm. Six heterozygous gene variants predicted as damaging were shared among the four genetically related tall individuals and not present in a family member with normal height. To gain insight into the putative role of these candidate genes in bone growth, we assessed the transcriptome of murine growth plate by microarray and RNA Seq. Two (Ift140, Nav2) of the six genes were well-expressed in the growth plate. Nav2 (p-value 1.91E-62) as well as Ift140 (p-value of 2.98E-06) showed significant downregulation of gene expression between the proliferative and hypertrophic zone, suggesting that these genes may be involved in the regulation of chondrocyte proliferation and/or hypertrophic differentiation. IFT140, NAV2 and SCAF11 have also significantly associated with height in GWAS studies. Pathway and network analysis indicated functional connections between IFT140, NAV2 and SCAF11 and previously associated (tall) stature genes. Knockout of the all-trans retinoic acid responsive gene, neuron navigator 2 NAV2, in Xenopus supports its functional role as a growth promotor. Collectively, our data expand the spectrum of genes with a putative role in tall stature phenotypes and, among other genes, highlight NAV2 as an interesting gene to this phenotype.

Proposal for a New Sports Talent Identification System Based on the Tracking Phenomenon of Height

In sports talent discovery in Japan, a system has been built to effectively support athletes with contact maintained between regional and central sports organizations. However, while a certain effect has been achieved with this system, much still depends on tacit knowledge. That is, a discovery system based on scientific evidence has not yet been established. The system is especially lagging in terms of approaches from the field of growth and development research. The only such approach, as found by Fujii, is that height and athletic ability are independent phenomena, and if one wants to discover exceptional sports talent it is necessary to think about height and athletic ability independently. In this study, we attempted to analyze the tracking of tall and short heights in the junior (school-age) period from the perspective of physical growth science, by applying the application of the wavelet interpolation model. The results showed that a tracking phenomenon is seen with a high probability (about 90%) for both tall and short heights. This makes it possible to identify who will be tall and short in the future. Assessing the athletic ability of tall and short people independently and proposing a system that screens for people with high athletic ability can contribute to building a new system for the discovery of sports talent.

The height premium: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The taller people are, the more money they tend to earn. This phenomenon is widely known as the height premium. However, it is not yet known whether the height premium is universal, or whether it varies by context. To that end, a systematic review of the literature was performed. Five databases were searched until August 2020. Ultimately, a list of 42 studies were included in a narrative synthesis, and 17 studies were included in a meta-analysis. Based on the meta-analysis, we found evidence that the height premium varied by context: the height premium was smaller in the U.S. and Australia, and larger in Latin America and Asia. Within geographies, there appeared to be a larger height premium for men than for women. Cultural factors, labor market structures and biology may play a role in determining the strength of the height premium.

A comparison of absolute, ratio standard and allometric approaches for bench press performance assessment in men over 60

Body mass is known to affect muscle strength and the outcome of some functional tests, so that heavier and taller people will be stronger than lighter and smaller ones. Ratio standard (RS) has been widely used to remove the body mass effect, despite long date criticism due to its inadequacy. Allometry (ALLO), in turn, has been applied as an efficient method for normalizing muscular strength. As the bench press (BP) is a well-recognized strength and conditioning exercise for older adults, the aim of the present study was to verify the influence of body mass on the performance assessment of a group of older men in the BP, by comparing the absolute, RS and ALLO approaches. Sixteen healthy old men (65.5±5.13 years old; 75.42±9.78Kg; 1.73±5.98m; 25.11±2.71 kg/m2; 24.76±4.10 %fat) volunteered to participate in the study. Maximum dynamic load was verified by individual one-repetition maximum (1-RM) tests. Comparisons of means revealed that significant 1-RM difference between lighter (54.9±8.85Kg) and heavier (66.2±8.86Kg) participants was identified only in absolute approach (p&lt;0.05; ES=0.57). RS failed in completely remove the body mass effect, allowing correlation between normalized muscular strength and BM (r=0.23), in contraire of ALLO (r=0.03 and 0.06). Kendall's concordance coefficient revealed an absolute lack of agreement between approaches when compared their respective ordinal classifications (kw=0.003; p&gt;0.05). In line with previous research, ALLO has shown to be the only suitable method to remove adequately the body mass effect and to provide appropriated performance scores for the older men evaluated in this study.

The Slaughter of the Bison and Reversal of Fortunes on the Great Plains

Abstract In the late nineteenth century, the North American bison was brought to the brink of extinction in less than two decades. We demonstrate that the loss of the bison had immediate, negative consequences for the Native Americans who relied on them and ultimately resulted in a persistent reversal of fortunes. Once amongst the tallest people in the world, the generations of bison-reliant people born after the slaughter lost their entire height advantage. By the early twentieth century, child mortality was 16 percentage points higher and the probability of reporting an occupation 19 percentage points lower in bison nations compared with nations that were never reliant on the bison. Throughout the latter half of the twentieth century and into the present, income per capita has remained 25% lower, on average, for bison nations. This persistent gap cannot be explained by differences in agricultural productivity, self-governance, or application of the Dawes Act. We provide evidence that this historical shock altered the dynamic path of development for formerly bison-reliant nations. We demonstrate that limited access to credit constrained the ability of bison nations to adjust through re-specialization and migration.

Body height estimation from automated length measurements on standing long leg radiographs using artificial intelligence

Artificial-intelligence (AI) allows large-scale analyses of long-leg-radiographs (LLRs). We used this technology to derive an update for the classical regression formulae by Trotter and Gleser, which are frequently used to infer stature based on long-bone measurements. We analyzed calibrated, standing LLRs from 4200 participants taken between 2015 and 2020. Automated landmark placement was conducted using the AI-algorithm LAMA™ and the measurements were used to determine femoral, tibial and total leg-length. Linear regression equations were subsequently derived for stature estimation. The estimated regression equations have a shallower slope and larger intercept in males and females (Femur-male: slope = 2.08, intercept = 77.49; Femur-female: slope = 1.9, intercept = 79.81) compared to the formulae previously derived by Trotter and Gleser 1952 (Femur-male: slope = 2.38, intercept = 61.41; Femur-female: slope = 2.47, intercept = 54.13) and Trotter and Gleser 1958 (Femur-male: slope = 2.32, intercept = 65.53). All long-bone measurements showed a high correlation (r ≥ 0.76) with stature. The linear equations we derived tended to overestimate stature in short persons and underestimate stature in tall persons. The differences in slopes and intercepts from those published by Trotter and Gleser (1952, 1958) may result from an ongoing secular increase in stature. Our study illustrates that AI-algorithms are a promising new tool enabling large-scale measurements.

HUBUNGAN STATUS EKONOMI DAN RIWAYAT ASI EKSLUSIF DENGAN RESIKO STUNTING PADA BALITA USIA 24-59 BULAN DI WILAYAH KERJA PUSKESMAS PERAWATAN NAPAL PUTIH KECAMATAN NAPAL PUTIH 2023

Background: Stunting is a problem of long-term (chronic) nutritional problems which has an impact on growth disorders, especially in tall people and is very vulnerable to various infectious diseases. Purpose: To find out whether there is a relationship between economic status and a history of exclusive breastfeeding with the risk of stunting in toddlers aged 24-59 months in the Working Area of ​​the Napal Putih Health Center, Napal Putih District. Research Methods: The research design used a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional research type. The population in the study was all toddlers in the Working Area of ​​the White Napal Treatment Health Center, totaling 942. The sample of this study used the quota sampling method, where the number of samples in this study amounted to 60. toddler. Data analysis through univariate analysis based on the distribution of frequency distribution and bivariate analysis. Results: Stunted toddlers in the Working Area of ​​the White Napal Care Health Center are known to have a family economic status factor for the incidence of stunting shown by a p-value of 0.004, there is a relationship between a history of exclusive breastfeeding and the risk of stunting, a p-value of 0.006 is obtained. Conclusion: There is a relationship between family economic status and history of exclusive breastfeeding with the risk of stunting in toddlers 24-59 months in the Working Area of ​​the Napal Putih Health Center, Napal Putih District 2023 Keywords: Family Economic Status, History of Exclusive Breastfeeding, Stunting

Do the short die young? Evidence from a large sample of deceased Polish adults

Body height is associated with various socioeconomic and health-related outcomes. Despite numerous studies, the relationship between stature and longevity remains uncertain. This study explores the association between self-reported height and lifespan. Data from 848,860 adults who died between 2004 and 2008 in Poland were collected. After excluding a small proportion of records due to missing data or errors, we examined records for 848,387 individuals (483,281 men, age range: 20–110 years; 365,106 women, age range: 20–112 years). Height was expressed as standardized residual variance derived from linear regression in order to eliminate the variance of year of birth on height. After the elimination of the cohort effect, five height classes were designated using centiles: very short, short, medium, tall and very tall. The differences between sexes and among classes were evaluated with two-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s test. The effect size was assessed using partial eta squared (η2). Pearson’s r coefficients of correlation were calculated. The effect of sex on lifespan was nearly 17 times stronger than the effect of height. No correlation between height and lifespan was found. In conclusion, these findings do not support the hypothesis that taller people have a longevity advantage. We offer tentative explanations for the obtained results.

Association between Body Mass Index, Abdominal Obesity, and Body Size with Hip and Femoral Fractures in the Elderly

Background: The risk of bone fractures, particularly hip fractures is increasing in the elderly. One of the known factors for predicting fractures is body mass index (BMI) and abdominal obesity. Thus, this study aimed to determine the association between obesity (general and abdominal) with femoral and hip fractures according to gender and age. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 100 patients with femoral or hip fractures admitted to the orthopedic ward of Khatam Al-Anbia Hospital in Zahedan were selected between March 2018 and May 2019. Waist circumference (WC), wrist circumference, BMI, and body size were measured. A P-value of &lt;0.05 was considered as statistical significant. All the analyses were performed by SPSS software version 21. Results: The highest rate of hip fracture was observed in people aged over 70 years (61.9%, P &lt; 0.01). The highest rate of hip and femoral fractures were observed in individuals with BMI &lt; 23 kg/m2 (P &lt; 0.001) and taller people (&gt;167 cm) (P &lt; 0.0001). The risk of fractures decreased with increasing WC (P &lt; 0.01). Approximately half of those with hip fractures (52.4%) and femoral fractures (51.9%) had small size. Conclusion: On the basis of our findings, taller height, lower BMI and smaller body size have been suggested as potential contributions to the risk of femoral and hip fractures. It is suggested that abdominal fat may be protective against the risk of hip and femoral fractures at older ages, which requires further research.

Efficient Query Processing For Imprecise Data

In real world applications we often need to test the queries based on fuzzy data. For example, some one can specify as “find students’ whose age is around 17 years old.”; “find tall person”. “find employee with high salary”; “find country with low population” etc. This fuzziness in measurement is captured in this paper. To test such fuzzy queries, we have developed an algorithm that is applicable universally to any type of database. In this paper first we have designed architecture to test fuzzy query. In the architecture we have defined an algorithm to find the membership value for each tuple of the relation based on the fuzzy attributes on which fuzzy query is made. Next Decision Maker (DM) will supply a threshold value or -cut based on which corresponding SQL of the given fuzzy query will be generated. This SQL will retrieve the resultant tuples from the database. Finally we have tested our algorithm with an example.

The impact of seat height on 1-min sit-to-stand test performance in COPD: a randomised crossover trial.

Study questionIs there a difference in the number of repetitions in the 1-minute sit-to-stand (1MSTS) test using an individually adapted seat height to 90° knee flexion (1MSTSIND), compared with the commonly used standard chair seat height of 46 cm (1MSTSSTD), in people with COPD?MethodsWe conducted a single-centre, single-blinded, randomised crossover trial in people with COPD between August 2020 and March 2021 at a specialised rehabilitation clinic in Switzerland. After a learning 1MSTS test, all participants performed two 1MSTS tests in random order on consecutive days. Participants were blinded, as they did not receive detailed information on the testing protocols.Results49 individuals with COPD (47% female) participated. In a regression model adjusted for sequence period and subject, 1MSTS test performance was lower on 1MSTSIND compared to 1MSTSSTD (−0.78 repetitions, 95% CI −1.47 to −0.11). In a second regression model additionally including the knee angle and an interaction term (1MSTSIND×knee angle), the interaction term was significant: 0.18 (95% CI 0.05 to 0.30). The limits of agreement were between −5.5 and 4 repetitions.ConclusionAlthough we observed a statistically significant difference between 1MSTSIND and 1MSTSSTD on a population level, the difference is negligible. Further studies may be needed to determine whether individual adaptation of seat height is needed for very tall or short people to ensure a valid assessment of 1MSTS test performance in COPD.

Height, occupation, and intergenerational mobility: an instrumental variable analysis of Dutch men, birth years 1850-1900

ABSTRACT Height and labor market outcomes appear to be related to one another. The taller people are, the more likely they are to have better jobs and to earn more money. This is especially the case for men. However, whether height is causally related to labor market outcomes is an open question, which instrumental variable (IV) analysis may help to answer. To our knowledge, no study has yet used IV analysis to test these relationships in a historical context. The present study addressed this gap, by examining height’s relationship to occupational status and intergenerational mobility in a sample of Dutch men, birth years 1850 through 1900. Data were drawn from: the Historical Sample of the Netherlands, providing life course information on the research person; the Heights and Life Courses Database, providing information on the research person’s height at conscription; and the Male Kin Height Database, providing information on the average height of the research person’s full brothers. This combination of data sources yielded a sample of 1,465 men. Height z-score’s relationships to occupational status (characterized as HISCAM score), and to intergenerational mobility (characterized as the difference between research person’s HISCAM score and father’s HISCAM score) were examined. The average of brothers’ heights z-score was used as an instrumental variable. In terms of results, one standard deviation increase in height was associated with a 1.370 increase in HISCAM score (95% CI: 0.310–2.429), and a 1.127 increase in intergenerational mobility score (95% CI: −0.114–2.368). As Dutch men were growing taller and had greater abilities to choose their occupations, it appeared that tallness was associated with a better job, and increased intergenerational occupational mobility. This study thus offered preliminary evidence that height and labor market outcomes were perhaps causally related during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Re-considering the evidence that taller people are less supportive of government wealth redistribution: A response to

Re-considering the evidence that taller people are less supportive of government wealth redistribution: A response to

Books on Human Evolution

Books on Human Evolution

Taller height and risk of coronary heart disease and cancer: A within-sibship Mendelian randomization study.

Taller people have a lower risk of coronary heart disease but a higher risk of many cancers. Mendelian randomization (MR) studies in unrelated individuals (population MR) have suggested that these relationships are potentially causal. However, population MR studies are sensitive to demography (population stratification, assortative mating) and familial (indirect genetic) effects. In this study, we performed within-sibship MR analyses using 78,988 siblings, a design robust against demography and indirect genetic effects of parents. For comparison, we also applied population MR and estimated associations with measured height. Within-sibship MR estimated that 1 SD taller height lowers the odds of coronary heart disease by 14% (95% CI: 3-23%) but increases the odds of cancer by 18% (95% CI: 3-34%), highly consistent with population MR and height-disease association estimates. There was some evidence that taller height reduces systolic blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which may mediate some of the protective effects of taller height on coronary heart disease risk. For the first time, we have demonstrated that the purported effects of height on adulthood disease risk are unlikely to be explained by demographic or familial factors, and so likely reflect an individual-level causal effect. Disentangling the mechanisms via which height affects disease risk may improve the understanding of the etiologies of atherosclerosis and carcinogenesis. This project was conducted by researchers at the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (MC_UU_00011/1) and also supported by a Norwegian Research Council Grant number 295989.