Height of a person

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The height of a person is how the body weight , a simple biometric feature. In this narrower sense, it describes the size of an upright person from the sole of the foot to the top of the head. In Germany , as in almost all countries, this measure is also entered in the identity card , passport and corresponding identification papers. One way to record and evaluate body size is the somatogram . The scientific discipline that deals with human body measurements is called anthropometry , the discipline that deals with human growth is called auxology .

In a broader sense, body size also means other measurable lengths on the body such as chest circumference, waist height, arm length, etc., with which biometrics are concerned on the one hand, and the clothing industry on the other, so that today's no longer tailor-made but prefabricated Garments can be offered in suitable and therefore deductible sizes. The clothing industry also wants to know how the sizes and proportions are proportionally distributed among the population in order to be able to produce the correct quantities of the different clothing sizes . The shoe industry is equally interested.

Determining body sizes and their distribution are also important for the ergonomics of furniture and vehicles as well as the design of technical workplaces.

Body size in the narrower sense: body length

Influences

Inheritance

Body size is inherited to a certain extent.

The size actually achieved also depends on the quality of human nutrition , especially the abundant intake of protein. However, the individual genetic constitution limits the size to a maximum.

The gene pool of the populations can already show small-scale differences (e.g. between the Netherlands and Belgium), because e.g. For example, genes once introduced by immigrants, language barriers or other cultural isolation mechanisms are less likely to be transferred to neighboring gene pools (limited gene flow ).

Standard of living

The German Ambassador Peter Schoof and East Timor's President Francisco Guterres , with two German Embassy staff and East Timorese officials. Only the Timorese on the left reaches the body length of the Germans

A sub-area of economic history research regards body size as an essential measure of the biological standard of living and the economic development of a country. The more prosperous a community, the larger the people who live in it. This branch of research is called Anthropometric History .

John Komlos coined the term “anthropometric history” in 1989; The conceptual foundations were laid by the historians and economists Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie , Robert Fogel and Richard Steckel as early as the late 1960s and 1970s. The concept of "biological standard of living" is closely linked to the anthropometric history approach. Important factors when comparing population groups are genetically determined height differences, cultural eating habits and the height of the previous generation.

Basics

If the quality or quantity of food is poor, the body's own energy reserves are broken down and the energy supply for activities and growth is reduced. At the same time, a poor diet weakens the immune system , so that illnesses are more likely to occur and the duration of illness tends to be longer. Illnesses, in turn, worsen the nutritional status because they reduce the absorption of nutrients in the body and the energy expenditure of the immune system is higher than in healthy people.

The average height of a person is thus determined by the quality and quantity of food, diseases and access to medical care, the latter only playing an important role since the 19th century. These factors in turn depend on household income, hygienic habits, health risk behavior as well as sanitary and drinking water systems, vaccinations and medication.

According to medical knowledge, reduced body growth due to malnutrition can sometimes be made up for in late adolescence. The researchers assume that the height of adults reflects the net nutritional quality during their childhood, with the living conditions during the first three years of life having a particularly strong effect on the final height of adults.

Results
time height
Men Women
5300-2000 BC Chr. 163.5 cm 151.5 cm
2000-750 BC Chr. 165.2 cm 153.6 cm
750-20 BC Chr. 166.1 cm 155.9 cm
20 BC-450 AD 165.5 cm 153.3 cm
AD 450–700 167.9 cm 156.2 cm
700-1000 AD 167.3 cm 155.4 cm
AD 1000–1500 166.3 cm 154.7 cm
AD 1500–1800 167.8 cm 155.3 cm
19th century 167.6 cm 155.7 cm
Germany 2003 177 cm 165 cm
D, 2005/13 178 cm 165 cm

Statements about body size in the past are based on two fundamentally different sources: observations on living people and estimates based on archaeological bone finds. Medical and anthropometric observations from the past from around 1900 are available as observations on living people, and for the period before that, primarily records of recruits being sampled, which date back to the 18th century. The advantage of these observations is their usually good quality and large quantity, the disadvantage is the lack of information about women. Of particular interest is the time of the industrial revolution in the middle of the 19th century, which went hand in hand with people becoming smaller for a short time (so-called antebellum puzzle or industrial growth puzzle ).

Information on body size based on archaeological finds is based on length measurements on long bones, from which body size is estimated. There are many different estimation formulas; In the strict sense, only results that were determined on the basis of the same estimation formulas can be compared.

After that, the first arable farmers and cattle breeders (approx. 5000–2000 BC) in Central Europe were about 163.5 cm (men) and 151.5 cm (women) tall. From the Iron Age (approx. 750 BC ff.) To the Middle Ages, the average body height was around 166 cm for men and 155 cm for women. Within this long section, people of the early Middle Ages (approx. 500–700 AD) were particularly tall (men 168 cm, women 156 cm). After a height decrease of about 2 cm in the course of the Middle Ages, people in the 19th century again reached a mean height of 168 cm (men) and 156 cm (women). These time-related differences are relatively small in relation to the differences between different population groups and the differences within a population group; within a group, around two thirds of people fall within a range of around plus / minus 4 to 6 cm around the mean values ​​mentioned. The studies of Franz Boas on immigrants in New York in the years 1902–1911 showed that in population groups of similar origin, changed living conditions led to changes in the mean height of around minus 2 cm to plus 4 cm.

Baten and Blum examine supra-regional differences in the 19th and 20th centuries. They find out that - while there was initially hardly any regional inequality in terms of body size - this changed at the end of the 19th century and with the first phase of globalization: the body sizes of people in rich and poor countries began to diverge. These differences did not disappear during the deglobalization phase of the two world wars . Baten and Blum, for example, concluded that in the 19th century the regional presence of cattle breeding, meat and milk as well as diseases were decisive factors for body size. However, this changed in the late 20th century , when new technologies and trade gained importance and thus the influence of local availability of agricultural products on body size decreased.

Possible causes for the change in mean body size are in addition to the above. The general food situation also includes climate changes, changes in the health situation and the increase in population density , whereby these factors influence one another. The so-called Little Ice Age began in Europe in the 14th century , which shortened the growth period for cereals and other crops by up to four weeks. Regardless of this, the population density increased significantly over the decades, which led to food shortages in many places. In connection with the increase in population density and the associated improvement in infrastructure and transport routes, there is also the increasing spread of debilitating infectious diseases . This has also had a negative impact on the average height of the population.

According to John Komlos, the average height of a human population is a more meaningful indicator of prosperity than the established parameters per capita income or GNP . The height of the population is therefore a measure of the general health and supply situation. The data collected by the Brandenburg State Health Office indicate that the children of the unemployed are smaller.

In 2016, a study by Bentham et al. published which analyzed data from over 200 countries and more than 18.6 million people. It found that people in South Korea and Iran experienced the greatest average body growth in the past decade. In contrast, the average height in many countries south of the Sahara , such as Niger , Rwanda , Sierra Leone and Uganda , even decreased slightly after the 1960s, or at best remained stable. In particular, the diet during childhood has an impact on the later height. The tallest men currently lived in the Netherlands , Belgium , Estonia , Latvia and Denmark ; The tallest women in Latvia, the Netherlands, Estonia and the Czech Republic .

Wars

The mean body length of a population is also influenced by historical events such as wars. The Napoleonic Wars killed numerous large men, while smaller men did not do military service and had offspring. As a result, the minimum height for the army was reduced two to three times by the beginning of the 20th century.

Daily fluctuations

The length of the body depends on the one hand on its location. When lying down, it is up to two centimeters longer. On the other hand, the length decreases over the course of the day. The reduction is about half a to two centimeters. This effect was first observed in England in 1724. In a letter, Reverend Wasse, a principal at Aynho , Northamptonshire , wrote on May 16, 1724, to Dr. Mead "on the difference in the height of a human body between morning and night" ( concerning the Difference in the Height of a Human Body, between Morning and Night ). The letter was published in 1726 in the 33rd edition of the Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions . In Paris, the observation of Morand and the abbot Fontana was confirmed and in 1727 in the Histoire de l'académie royale des sciences. Année MDCCXXV comments.

The cause of both effects is different. The difference in length over the course of the day is mainly due to the compression of the intervertebral discs of the spine . The cause of the change in different body positions are primarily the joint connections of the legs. This is also the reason that dead adults gain about two inches in length.

Body growth

The growth in length precedes the growth, the increase in width and thickness follows. The greatest body growth after baby age (up to 15 cm per year) takes place around the age of 14 and 15, with an average of six centimeters per year. After that, the growth will gradually decline. The development is essentially complete by the age of 19, when the annual increase in size is less than one centimeter. Another slight growth (less than 1 cm per year) can occur up to the age of 24. However, there are exceptions to this development of up to two centimeters increase in size per year.

In relation to other parts of the body, the head in the newborn is the most developed in size. Its growth slowed in the following years. The growth of the spine also decreases, but not nearly as much. The limbs grow the most and for the longest time. This process takes place throughout the growth. Therefore, overall height is usually mainly influenced by the length of the legs; Women are shorter on average because they generally have shorter legs. Due to the influence of the legs on the overall length, people also differ less in size when sitting than when standing.

Body growth is primarily higher in summer than in winter, which is due to the greater amount of heat and light compared to the cold seasons. This difference in growth rate is particularly noticeable until the growth is essentially complete, around the age of 19.

→ for further growth processes, see the articles infant and toddler

Forecasts

The genetically expected height of a child in adulthood can be estimated using a rule of thumb. For boys, six centimeters are added to the arithmetic mean of the height of the parents and six centimeters are subtracted for girls. This calculation results from the difference in height between men and women, which is about twelve centimeters. The expected body size calculated in this way has a statistical spread of ± 8.5 centimeters.

A more accurate method is to determine the age of the bones . This allows conclusions to be drawn about the growth that is still to be expected. Another possibility is to create the growth curve in a somatogram . Since the body continues to develop in about the same percentile of body length, predictions can be made for future development.

Body sizes in the broader sense: serial measurements, SizeGERMANY

The measurement of body sizes and proportions as well as the determination of their distribution in the broader sense on behalf of the textile industry are traditionally carried out in Germany by researchers at the Hohenstein Institute in Bönnigheim near Stuttgart by means of extensive series measurements . Such measurements have been carried out at intervals since 1957 on total samples of the population and on special subgroups (e.g. women over 60 years of age or women with a strong figure). The data collected in the process serve as the basis for creating finished size tables for tailored ready-made clothing.

The last of these measurements was carried out for the first time in 2008/2009 in cooperation with the Kaiserslautern company Human Solutions using a full-body laser scanner. A total of over 13,000 men, women and children were measured; With the aim of improving technical ergonomics , various postures - three standing and one sitting - were recorded without contact for the first time. The results of this series measurement called SizeGERMANY are not publicly available, but are only available to the clients (80 companies, mainly in the clothing industry (manufacturers and dealers) and some car manufacturers ), who are allowed to use data according to the cost share they have assumed.

Heights in the military

Body sizes play a role in the military:

  • When approaching , the tallest soldiers of the commander stand on the left.
  • When used in form of honor , where a minimum height is required, cf. Long guys and guards .

Statistics: height of the German citizens

Height statistics as a diagram

The following is a statistic about the height of adult citizens in Germany :

height Women Men
<150 cm 00.6% 00.1%
150-154 cm 04% 00.1%
155-159 cm 12.7% 00.3%
160-164 cm 27.0% 02.3%
165-169 cm 29.1% 09.0%
170-174 cm 17.6% 19.2%
175-179 cm 06.9% 26.1%
180-184 cm 01.8% 23.9%
185-189 cm 00.2% 12.8%
≥ 190 cm <0.1% 06.3%

Source: SOEP 2006

See also

literature

  • Roderick C. Floud: Economic and social influences on the height of Europeans since 1750. In: Yearbook for economic history. 1985/2. Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1985, pp. 93–118 ( digitized version of the entire yearbook )
  • John Komlos : Height and Wealth. In: Spectrum of Science. (9) 2005, p. 90.
  • John Komlos, Peter Kriwy, Marieluise Baur: Social class and body size in East and West Germany. In: Cologne journal for sociology and social psychology. (KZfSS), Volume 55, No. 3, 2003, pp. 543-556.
  • Frank Siegmund : The height of people in the prehistory and early history of Central Europe and a comparison of their anthropological estimation methods. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2010. Online at (academia.edu) .
  • Helmut Wurm, Manfred Nimax: Nutritional influences on historical body heights . A contribution to the problem of an applied nutritional history. In: Würzburg medical history reports. 17, 1998, pp. 507-523.
  • Helmut Wurm: Height and Diet of Germans in the Middle Ages. In: Bernd Herrmann (Ed.): Man and the environment in the Middle Ages. Stuttgart 1986, pp. 101-108.

Web links

Wiktionary: Height of a person  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Hermanussen (Ed.): Auxology - Studying Human Growth and Development. Swiss beard, 2013, ISBN 978-3-510-65278-5 .
  2. ↑ 5300 BC Chr. To 19th century after: Frank Siegmund: The height of people in the prehistory and early history of Central Europe and a comparison of their anthropological estimation methods. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2010, ISBN 978-3-8391-5314-7 , p. 81, tab. 38.
  3. ↑ Health care - Microcensus 2003 - Health questions - Body measurements of the population in May 2003.
  4. ↑ Health Care - Microcensus 2009 - Questions on Health - Body measurements of the population 2009.
  5. ↑ Health care - Microcensus 2005 - Health questions - Body measurements of the population 2005.
  6. ↑ destatis.de
  7. ^ A b Franz Boas: Changes in the bodily form of descendants of immigrants. New York 1912.
  8. ↑ John Komlos (Ed.): Stature, living standards, and economic development: essays in anthropometric history. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1994, ISBN 0-226-45092-9 ; John Komlos: The biological standard of living in Europe and America, 1700-1900: studies in anthropometric history. Variorum, Aldershot et al. 1995, ISBN 0-86078-457-6 ; Jörg Baten: Nutrition and economic development in Bavaria: (1730-1880). Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-515-07218-7 .
  9. ↑ rich, annotated data collection. wiwi.uni-tuebingen.de, J. Baten
  10. ^ Friedrich W. Rösing: Body height reconstruction from skeletal measurements. In: R. Knussmann (Ed.): Anthropologie: Handbook of the comparative biology of humans 1. G. Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart 1988, pp. 586–600; Frank Siegmund: The height of people in the prehistory and early history of Central Europe and a comparison of their anthropological estimation methods. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2010, ISBN 978-3-8391-5314-7 / also: academia.edu .
  11. ^ Numbers from: Siegmund, Frank: The height of people in the prehistory and early history of Central Europe and a comparison of their anthropological estimation methods. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2010, ISBN 978-3-8391-5314-7 , p. 81, tab. 38.
  12. ^ Joerg Baten: Global Height Trends in Industrial and Developing Countries, 1810-1984: An Overview . In: Recuperado el . tape 20 , 2006.
  13. ↑ Joerg Baten, Matthias Blum: Why are you tall while others are short? Agricultural production and other proximate determinants of global heights. In: European Review of Economic History . tape 18 , no. 2 , 2014, p. 144-165 .
  14. ↑ Frank Sirocko (Ed.): Weather, Climate, Human Development: From the Ice Age to the 21st Century. Darmstadt 2009, ISBN 978-3-8062-2268-5 .
  15. ↑ Pupils measured - the unemployed have smaller children -. In: welt.de (welt.de)
  16. ↑ a b c d e James Bentham et al .: A century of trends in adult human height . In: eLife . tape 5 . eLife Sciences Publications, July 26, 2016, ISSN  2050-084X , doi : 10.7554 / eLife.13410 ( online [accessed April 25, 2019]).
  17. ↑ Franz Daffner: The growth of people. Anthropological study. 2nd Edition. Engelmann, Leipzig 1902, p. 357.
  18. ↑ Part of a Letter from the Reverend Mr. Wasse, Rector of Aynho in Northamptonshire, to Dr. Mead, concerning the Difference in the Height of a Human Body, between Morning and Night . Royal Society Publishing
  19. ^ A b Franz Daffner: The growth of man. Anthropological study. 2nd Edition. Engelmann, Leipzig 1902, p. 352 f.
  20. ↑ Franz Daffner: The growth of people. Anthropological study. 2nd Edition. Engelmann, Leipzig 1902, p. 125.
  21. ^ A b Franz Daffner: The growth of man. Anthropological study. 2nd Edition. Engelmann, Leipzig 1902, p. 329.
  22. ↑ Franz Daffner: The growth of people. Anthropological study. 2nd Edition. Engelmann, Leipzig 1902, p. 340.
  23. ↑ a b The growth curve . grosswuchs.de
  24. ↑ Height of the German statistics of the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) , edited by statista.org