The great transformation: a long-run perspective on physical well-being in Canada

During the 19th century the physical stature of the Canadian-born stagnated or declined slightly in spite of a substantial increase in income. Stature varied regionally within Canada. The Quebec population was especially short; men in the Atlantic coastal region were taller than their low incomes would lead us to expect. Heights increased dramatically in the 20th Century. The pattern of long-run change is consistent with evidence of age-specific mortality and with the relationship between income and physical well-being envisaged by Preston [Preston, S., 1975. The changing relationship between mortality and the level of economic development. Popul. Stud. 29, 231-248]. The transition from stagnant or declining stature to secular increase points to a dramatic shift ca. 1900 in the evolution of the physical standard of living in Canada.