Stature change with aging in black americans

The study consisted of a sample of 500 black Americans (50-104 years old) to determine whether or not there was a decrease in height among black Americans with increasing age. There is no significant difference between height and arm-span at the start of adult life. In order to study the loss of stature, as a result of senescence, a comparison of height with arm-span measurement was used. It was found that: (1) the black population has a greater decrease in height with aging than does the white population; (2) black males decrease approximately 4.2 cm in height every 20 years compared to 1.2 cm in the white population; (3) the older population sampled had shorter arm-spans as well as shorter stature.