The relation of the height of primary school children to population density

The relation of the height of primary school children to population density, as measured at the 1971 census, was investigated for children in 21 study areas in England, using data from the 1972 survey of the National Study of Health and Growth. Shorter stature was found with increasing population density, and this relation remained after allowing for child's birthweight, mother's height, father's height, social class, number of siblings, and additionally a measure of home overcrowding. The results are in contrast to those found elsewhere, and are unlikely to indicate a cause-and-effect relationship between population density and height. The findings cannot be explained either by known differences between urban and rural areas in social characteristics or by plausible hypotheses of genetic heterogeneity.