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Poor but tall. The height premium in the Canary Islands at the beginning of nutritional transition

Author

Listed:
  • José-Miguel Martínez Carrión
  • Begoña Candela-Martínez
  • Cándido Román-Cervantes
  • Ginés Díaz-Carmona

Abstract

This article explores the beginnings of the nutritional transition in relation to height in male populations of the Canary Islands. With military recruitment data for the cohorts of 1860 and 1915, it shows the insular advantage (height premium) compared to the average height of the Spanish populations of the Iberian Peninsula. The secular trend for height was positive. The increase in height of 2.4 cm during the expansive cycle of the island economy was comparable to that of the Spanish average. It also highlights the biological variability of the heights, probably due to the genetic composition of the island populations, and that the average urban height was greater than the average rural height. Finally, we find that height inequality increased in years when average height decreased, especially between 1866-80 and 1900-1905. The Canarian height premium is analyzed based on the insular environment, climate, economic cycles, and diet.

Suggested Citation

  • José-Miguel Martínez Carrión & Begoña Candela-Martínez & Cándido Román-Cervantes & Ginés Díaz-Carmona, 2022. "Poor but tall. The height premium in the Canary Islands at the beginning of nutritional transition," Documentos de Trabajo de la Sociedad de Estudios de Historia Agraria 2206, Sociedad de Estudios de Historia Agraria.
    • Handle: RePEc:seh:wpaper:2206
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Biological welfare; nutritional transition; Canary Islands; height premium; rural-urban height gap; inequality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N33 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • N34 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Europe: 1913-
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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