Demographic, Residential, and Socioeconomic Effects on the Distribution of 19th Century US White Statures

Scott A. Carson

No 2563, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: Using a source of 19th century US state prison records, this study addresses European-American stature variation. The most commonly cited sources for stature variation are diets, disease, and work effort. However, vitamin D is also vital in human statures and health. This paper demonstrates that 19th century white statures were positively associated with direct sunlight, which is the primary source of vitamin D in mammals. Stature and insolation are associated with occupations, and workers who spent more time outdoors produced more vitamin D and grew taller. White statures also decreased throughout the 19th century, and this stature diminution is observed across the stature distribution.

Keywords: 19th US white statures; vitamin D; solar radiation; quantile regression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I30 I31 J00 J15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ces:ceswps:_2563

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