Stature and stature distribution in Portuguese male adults 1904-1998: the role of environmental factors.

The records of height of 841,457 18-year-old Portuguese males were analyzed by area of residence (districts). The sample included all Portuguese 18-year-old males born between 1966 and 1979 and examined between 1985 and 1998, in the north, center, and south of Portugal. They represent all social strata. There were statistically significant differences (P < or = 0.001) among districts: males from Lisbon (172.8 cm) and Setúbal (172.7 cm), the most developed districts, were tallest, and those from Madeira (169.7 cm) and Coimbra (171.6 cm) were shortest. Compared with published data for 1904, there was a positive secular trend in height. The average increase was 8.93 cm and the estimated rate was 0.99 cm per decade. The changes that occurred were mainly the result of the reduction of the shortest classes of stature, those < 150 cm to 170 cm, and an increase in the frequency of the highest classes, > or = 170 cm. This positive trend and the changes in stature distribution must be related to the general improvement in standard living conditions that occurred in Portugal primarily after the 1960s and 1970s, especially in terms of nutrition and the health system. Taking into account the socioeconomic differences that still exist between districts, the results suggest that the secular trend in height should continue for the Portuguese population in future decades.