The average height of Taiwanese adults of both genders has increased over the past few years, with the exception of two single-age groups: 18-year-old males and 15-year-old females, the latest data from the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan showed.
The latest report, covering 2017 to 2020, showed that the average height of women and men aged 19 or older climbed to 157.0cm and 169.3cm respectively, compared with 156.8cm and 168.7cm in the previous report from 2013 to 2016.
A breakdown showed that the average height of all adult age groups — 19 to 44 years old, 45 to 64 years old, and 65 years and older — followed the same pattern of growth.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The pattern is also the same in nearly all single-age groups of teenagers aged 13 to 18, with two exceptions — the average height of 18-year-old males was 173.3cm between 2013 and 2016, but dropped to 172.1cm between 2017 and 2020, while the average height of 15-year-old females slid from 160.5cm to 159.4cm in the two reports.
The sample sizes of the two single-aged group in both reports were relatively low at 41 to 79 people, compared with the sample size for other age groups of more than 1,500.
Citing the survey, a Chinese-language United Daily News article noted that the average height of 18-year-old Taiwanese males “shrank” by 1.2cm, while the average height of their female counterparts rose from 160.7cm in the 2013-2016 report to 161.2cm in the 2017-2020 report.
Taiwan Pediatric Association chairman Lee Hung-chang (李宏昌), a pediatrician at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei, said in the article that based on his clinical observations, Taiwanese females have grown taller in recent years, which might be attributed to women exercising more.
In the past, girls were mostly taught to be gentle and docile, and encouraged to do indoor activities only, he said.
However, as Taiwanese break free of gender stereotypes, more girls are exercising and eating a balanced diet, leading to them growing taller, Lee said.
There is a rising trend of adolescents being brought to clinics for mental consultations due to heavy stress and being diagnosed with endocrine disorders, which affect the growth hormones, he said.
Taiwan Pediatric Association member Peng Chun-chih (彭純芝) said there are many factors that determine an adult’s final height, and medical experts suspect that environmental hormones could be one of them, but the evidence is not yet conclusive.
Childhood obesity is another problem due to poor, unhealthy diets, prolonged use of digital devices, staying up late and other factors that might affect children’s growth hormones, the report cited Peng as saying.
The survey was commissioned by the Health Promotion Administration to establish a long-term regular monitoring system to better understand public health and nutrition to use as a reference for drafting healthcare policies.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
STREAMLINED: The dedicated funding would allow the US to transfer equipment to Taiwan when needed and order upgraded replacements for stockpiles, a source said The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a defense appropriations bill totaling US$838.7 billion, of which US$1 billion is to be allocated to reinforcing security cooperation with Taiwan and US$150 million to replace defense articles provided to the nation. These are part of the Consolidated Appropriation Act, which the US House yesterday passed with 341 votes in favor and 88 against. The act must be passed by the US Senate before Friday next week to avoid another government shutdown. The US House Committee on Appropriations on Monday unveiled the act, saying that it allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative
RSS