ABSTRACT
The growth and development of children is a central topic in the fields of public health and international health, for comparisons of height and weight are used to assess population health, living conditions including infectious disease burden, and nutrition and nutritional status. Although small differences due to genetic inheritance have been observed, scientific studies overwhelmingly demonstrate that social class and economic differences are the most salient factors determining variation in average height across populations and time periods. In fact, upper-class children are of similar stature worldwide. Groups that immigrate to wealthy countries experience gains in stature within the first generation and soon resemble the host population more than the population back home, including showing increased rates of obesity and related health problems (see Smith et al. 2002).
