The effect of birth month on body height of Austrian conscripts varies according to educational level
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6415127 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thomas Waldhoer (0000-0003-2043-8299, Medical University of Vienna), Kirchengast (0000-0002-3220-7271, University of Vienna, corresponding author), Lin Yang (0000-0002-1698-6666, University of Calgary) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 2482972-2482972 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-31 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Annals of Human Biology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0301-4460 • E-ISSN: 1464-5033 |
| Publisher | Informa (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03014460.2025.2482972 |
| PMID | 40162595 |
| OpenAlex | W4408997032 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 14 |
An association between birth month and height has been repeatedly described, but no consistent seasonal patterns can be observed. In this study, the significance of educational level as a modulating cofactor for the association between body height and birth month was analysed using an anonymous data set from 1,179,600 male conscripts born in Austria between 1971 and 2002. A distinct seasonal trend was observed. Conscripts born from June to December had shorter final body height than their counterparts born between January and May. In general, the effect of month of birth on final body height is very small. Considering socioeconomic co-factors, however, this effect was particularly noticeable for the highest and middle education classes, while the observed effect was small among the lowest education class. A low educational level seems to reduce the seasonal effect on growth and finally body height. Consequently, a clear seasonal effect in body height was observed in this Austrian population-based sample, socioeconomic stress factors, such as a low level of education, can reduce the seasonal effects
Body height · Body mass index · Body weight · Geography · Population · Socioeconomic status · Birth, Development, and Health · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Demography · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
Month of Birth, Socioeconomic Background and Height in Rural Chinese Men
Effect of Month of Birth on Mean Birth Length in Austrian Newborns Born Between 1984 and 2021
Month‐of‐birth effect on height and weight in Polish rural children
No effect of birth month or season on height in a large international sample of adults
Body height differentiation by season of birth
Association between body height and month of birth among women of E uropean origin in northern and southern hemispheres
Month of birth and height. A case study in rural Spain
Lower educational level remains associated with lower body height among Austrian conscripts born from 1961 through 2002
Effect of the month of birth on the height of young adult males
The influence of birth season on height
| Highly cited | No |
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