The Chinese the Asia Tallest: How and When?
Japan was a forerunner in rapid economic development in NE Asia after WWII, followed by South Korea with two decades behind due to Korean War (1950-53). Children in Japan started to increase in height radically in 1960, as the inputs to health, food consumption increased in quantity and quality and then quit increasing in height in the mid-1990s. They were overtaken by Korean peers by 3.0 cm in the mid-2000s, that plateaued in height afterwards. The Great Chinese Famine, caused by the Great Leap Forward led to severe malnutrition in China nationwide in 1975-1985. China’s economy has made fast development since then. Very little is known about the trend in stature, “net measure that captures the supply of inputs to health” (Steckel) in China since then. Based on nationwide sur veys, CNSSCH, this note explores trends in children’s height in China over the period of 1985 to 2020.
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