[Trend of of stature in France]

The average stature of 23,400 young adults was 172.33 cm in 1974; it is not the final size because they were 18 to 20 years old. Compared to previous data, we note that the rate of increase grows: it was of 0.3 cm every 10 years at the beginning of the century, of 1 cm in the middle of this century, actually it reaches 1.7 cm per ten years. Studying the correlations between the increase of stature and the variations of some factors during this century, we find multiple correlations accounting for the conditions of life, without a predominant factor. Among the sample of 1974, we find again the same result. The genetic factors (consanguinity, exogamy) show more modest correlations than mesological factors. The mental capacities show the strongest correlation, but does not explain the tendency occuring one in a hundred year. We still do not know why children grow quicker and reach a final bigger size than in the past.