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MONTH OF BIRTH, SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND AND HEIGHT IN RURAL CHINESE MEN

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2011

WEIGUO ZHANG
WEIGUO ZHANG
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, Canada
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Summary

This study examines the effects of birth month and socioeconomic factors on height in rural Chinese men. The analysis of sample data of 833 adult men, 18–52 years of age, collected from 600 families in rural Hebei in 2005, shows that adult men born in winter months (November to January) are, on average, 1.04 cm shorter (p<0.01) than those born during the rest of the year. In addition to the conventional OLS regression models, the household fixed and random effects models also indicate that the month-of-birth effect exists when socioeconomic variables are controlled for. The birth-month effect on height is, however, smaller than effects of socioeconomic variables, including the household registration status, household economy and father's class status.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 43 , Issue 6 , November 2011 , pp. 641 - 656
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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