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Nineteenth Century Weight in the United States: Revaluating Net Nutrition during Economic Development

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  • Scott A. Carson

Abstract

Heights and body mass index values (BMIs) are now well accepted measures that reflect net nutrition during economic development and institutional change. This study uses 19th century weights instead of BMIs to measure factors associated with current net nutrition. Across the weight distribution and throughout the 19th century, white and black average weights decreased by 8.5 and 6.3 percent, respectively. Farmers and unskilled workers had positive weight returns associated with rural agricultural lifestyles. Weights in the Deep South were greater than other regions within the US, indicating that while Southern infectious disease rates were high, Southern current net nutrition was better than elsewhere within the US.

Suggested Citation

  • Scott A. Carson, 2015. "Nineteenth Century Weight in the United States: Revaluating Net Nutrition during Economic Development," CESifo Working Paper Series 5499, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_5499
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    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp5499.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Carson, Scott Alan, 2011. "Southeastern institutional change and biological variation: evidence from the 19th century Tennessee State Prison," Journal of Institutional Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 7(3), pages 455-471, September.
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    3. Scott Alan Carson, 2014. "Institutional Change and Variation in 19th-Century Southern Blacks´ and Whites´ Body Mass Indices," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 170(2), pages 296-316, June.
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    8. Komlos, John, 1987. "The Height and Weight of West Point Cadets: Dietary Change in Antebellum America," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(4), pages 897-927, December.
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    11. Komlos, John, 2012. "A Three-Decade “Kuhnian” History of the Antebellum Puzzle: Explaining the shrinking of the US population at the onset of modern economic growth," Discussion Papers in Economics 12758, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    weight; biological measurements; 19th century health; quantile estimation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • N31 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913

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