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Greek young men grow taller
Anastasios Papadimitriou1, Grigorios Fytanidis, Konstandinos Douros
1Third Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens School of Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece. anpapad@med.uoa.gr
Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|May 15, 2008
Summary
Young Greek men continue to grow taller, with average height increasing by 1.47 cm per decade since 1990. This trend suggests the male Greek population has not yet reached its full growth potential.
Area of Science:
- Human biology
- Anthropometry
- Public health
Background:
- Secular trends in human height are influenced by socioeconomic factors and improved nutrition.
- Previous studies indicated increasing stature in Greek populations over time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the current secular trend of height in young Greek men.
- To compare contemporary height data with historical records from 1990.
Main Methods:
- Anthropometric measurements (height, weight) of 3982 Greek conscripts (aged 18-26) were collected between May 2006 and May 2007.
- Data were correlated with conscripts' education level and place of residence.
- Contemporary data were compared with a similar study conducted in 1990.
Main Results:
- The mean height of young Greek men was 178.06 cm (+/-7.05 cm).
- Mean height increased from 175.7 cm in 1990 to 178.06 cm in 2006, a rate of 1.47 cm per decade (p < 0.001).
- Height showed positive correlations with place of residence (p = 0.007) and education level (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- A significant increase in the stature of young Greek men has been observed over the past 16 years.
- The findings suggest that the male Greek population's growth potential has not been fully realized.
- Height trends are linked to socioeconomic factors such as education and place of residence.
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