The impact of World War II on nutrition and children’s health in Italy

Vittorio Daniele and Renato Ghezzi
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Renato Ghezzi: Università Magna Graecia di Catanzaro, Dipartimento di Scienze Giuridiche, Storiche, Economiche e Sociali, Campus S. Venuta, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy

Investigaciones de Historia Económica - Economic History Research (IHE-EHR), Journal of the Spanish Economic History Association, 2019, vol. 15, issue 02, 119-131

Abstract: The impact of World War II on the nutrition and health of Italian children is examined. During the Second World War (1939–1945), both per capita GDP and consumption collapsed in Italy. Infant mortality increased. The anthropometric measurements of a sample of schoolchildren show a loss in weight and height in comparison with the pre-war years. Measurements of conscripts born during the conflict show an interruption in the secular increase in height, with a decrease in the mean height of conscripts born in 1945. The adverse impact of the war on height, particularly affected the northern regions, and appears to be related to the ‘geography of conflict’ in Italy. KEY Classification-JEL: I10. N44

Keywords: Italia.; Segunda; Guerra; Mundial.; Racionamiento.; Antropometría (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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