Eating poorly could be one of the factors contributing to children being 20 centimetres shorter in countries with the lowest average height compared to children in countries where the average height is highest. This is one of the conclusions from a study by the Imperial College in London, UK that was published in the scientific journal The Lancet on November 7th.

The survey found that in 2019, the world’s tallest children and adolescents were in central Europe, while the shortest lived in South Asia and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and East Africa. The tallest 19 year-olds, for example, lived in the Netherlands, and had an average height of 1.83 metres. The shortest, on the other hand, lived in East Timor, and had an average height of 1.60 metres. That is a difference of more than 20 centimetres.

Researchers analysed changes in weight and height in more than 65 million young people between the ages of 5 and 19 from 200 countries to compare their health. The data was pulled from 2000 studies published between 1985 and 2019.

The analysis recognizes that genetics (that is, the characteristics inherited from parents) influence height and weight. But it states that when data from entire populations are analysed, food and the environment in which people live play a more important role. According to scientists, the impact may come from factors such as the quality of nutrients and the intake of ultra-processed foods (such as snacks and filled cookies).

They recommend that government actions around the world focus not only on feeding children under the age of five, as is done today, but also be directed towards older children and adolescents.

More data from the research

• In 2019, Brazil had placed 70th in the world in average height in a list of 200. The country had gone up 47 positions in comparison to 1985.

• The average height of Chinese and South Korean children has increased the most in the past 35 years.

• In sub-Saharan African countries, average heights have remained the same or even decreased over the same period.

Sources: Imperial College London, G1, NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), and The Lancet

Questions

1) What is the correct information?
a) In 2019, the tallest children and young people in the world were in Asia, while the shortest lived in Latin America.
b) Brazil has the seventh shortest population in the world.
c) Chinese children and young people had one of the biggest increases in average height between 1985 and 2019.
d) Genetics is the most important factor to determine height for entire populations.

2) Are you concerned about eating to sustain healthy growth? Why?

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