TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bogin, Barry
A1  - Scheffler, Christiane
A1  - Hermanussen, Michael
T1  - Global effects of income and income inequality on adult height and sexual dimorphism in height
T2  - American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council
N2  - Objectives: Average adult height of a population is considered a biomarker of the quality of the health environment and economic conditions. The causal relationships between height and income inequality are not well understood. We analyze data from 169 countries for national average heights of men and women and national-level economic factors to test two hypotheses: (1) income inequality has a greater association with average adult height than does absolute income; and (2) neither income nor income inequality has an effect on sexual dimorphism in height. Methods: Average height data come from the NCD-RisC health risk factor collaboration. Economic indicators are derived from the World Bank data archive and include gross domestic product (GDP), Gross National Income per capita adjusted for personal purchasing power (GNI_ PPP), and income equality assessed by the Gini coefficient calculated by the Wagstaff method. Results: Hypothesis 1 is supported. Greater income equality is most predictive of average height for both sexes. GNI_ PPP explains a significant, but smaller, amount of the variation. National GDP has no association with height. Hypothesis 2 is rejected. With greater average adult height there is greater sexual dimorphism. Conclusions: Findings support a growing literature on the pernicious effects of inequality on growth in height and, by extension, on health. Gradients in height reflect gradients in social disadvantage. Inequality should be considered a pollutant that disempowers people from the resources needed for their own healthy growth and development and for the health and good growth of their children.
Y1  - 2017
UR  - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/55247
SN  - 1042-0533
SN  - 1520-6300
VL  - 29
IS  - 2
PB  - Wiley
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -