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One size does not fit all. How universal standards for normal height can hide deprivation and create false paradoxes
Author(s) -
Hruschka Daniel J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
american journal of human biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.559
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1520-6300
pISSN - 1042-0533
DOI - 10.1002/ajhb.23552
Subject(s) - yardstick , population , public health , universal coverage , population size , geography , social deprivation , environmental health , development economics , demography , economic growth , medicine , sociology , economics , mathematics , health policy , geometry , nursing
Abstract Public health practitioners and social scientists frequently compare height against one‐size‐fits‐all standards of human growth to assess well‐being, deprivation, and disease risk. However, underlying differences in height can make some naturally tall populations appear well‐off by universal standards, even though they live in severe states of deprivation. In this article, I describe the worldwide extent of these population differences in height and illustrate how using a universal yardstick to compare population height can create puzzling disparities (eg, between South Asia and sub‐Saharan Africa) while also underestimating childhood stunting in specific world regions (eg, West Africa and Haiti). I conclude by discussing potential challenges of developing and implementing population‐sensitive standards for assessing healthy development.