Quebecers increasingly taller
Montréal, November 29, 2007 – The average height of Quebecers aged 20 and over went up between 1987 and 2005. This was revealed in a recent study by the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ) entitled Les Québécois de plus en plus grands?
This study of height trends in Quebecers, based on the analysis of data from three large population surveys found that the self-reported height of males aged 20 and over went from 174.1 cm (5’ 8” and one half) on average in 1987 to 175.4 cm (slightly over 5’ 9”) on average in 2005. The self-reported height of females aged 20 and over went from 161.0 cm (about 5’ 3” and one half) on average in 1987 to 161.8 cm (about 5’ 4”) on average in 2005.
Analysis of the study data by age group shows that males aged between 20 and 29 reported measuring 177.5 cm on average (nearly 5’ 10”) in 2005 and females of the same age, 164.0 cm (about 5’ 5”); in 1987, these two groups reported measuring respectively 176.2 cm (5’ 9” and one half) and 162.7 cm (5’ 4”). Other large gains were recorded in the youngest age groups over the same period, which seems to show an increase of population stature in the medium term.
Another part of the analysis, based on the study of the distribution of the population by height group, reveals that the group whose height was between 170 cm (5’ 7”) and 175 cm (5’ 9”) is the one that includes the highest number of males (one quarter of the male population aged 20 and over). In the female population, it was the females who reported measuring between 160 cm (5’ 3”) and 165 cm (5’ 5”) who were the highest in number (roughly one-third of the female population aged 20 and over). It also appears that about 1.3% of the male population reported measuring less than 160 cm (5’ 3”) and that roughly 2.0% of that population reported measuring over 190 cm (6’ 3”). Nearly 3.4% of the females reported being under 150 cm (4’ 11”) tall, whereas close to 3.8% thought they were over 175 cm (5’ 9”) tall.
The 1987 and 1998 data on height trends in Quebecers were taken from surveys conducted by Santé Québec (organization that become the Direction Santé Québec of the ISQ) surveying about 20,000 Quebecers statistically representative of the population as a whole in each case. The 2005 data were taken from Statistics Canada’s 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey, cycle 3. This latest survey covered roughly 29,000 Quebecers statistically representative of the population as a whole. In the 1987 and 1998 Québec surveys, respondents wrote their answers in a self-administered questionnaire. The questions were: What is your weight? What is your height? In the 2005 Canadian survey, an interviewer asked the following questions in face-to-face or telephone interviews: How tall are you without your shoes? How much do you weigh?
The Institut de la statistique du Québec produces and disseminates relevant, reliable, and timely statistical information on the socioeconomic development of Québec. It is the central authority for the production and dissemination of official statistical information for Québec government departments and agencies. It is also responsible for conducting statistical surveys of general interest.
Sources :
- Émilie Grenier, Communications Advisor
(418) 691-2403, Ext. 3034
Cell.: (418) 558-2000
Institut de la statistique du Québec
- Information and Documentation Centre (ISQ)
Phone: (418) 691-2401
or 1-800-463-4090 (toll free in Canada and the United States)
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