A Study of the Relationship between the Nutritional Quality of Life and Stature Sexual Dimorphism

ABSTRACT

We tested the hypothesis that an improved nutritional environment increases the size of stature sexual dimorphism (SSD) by comparing mean height changes in North and South Korean adults. For the first round of sampling, those North Korean refugees who had reached the age of 20 years before leaving North Korea were selected for the study. Then, two birth-year cohorts born between 1955 and 1959 and between 1980 and 1984 were finally selected for the analysis (383 males and 529 females). North Korean refugee mean height data were compared to the mean height of the comparable South Korean population derived from 2004 Korean size results (373 males and 429 females). The results of the analysis showed that there was no increase in mean height among the refugees, either in males or females, between the two birth-year cohorts. As a result, no change in SSD was observed between the two birth-year cohorts. In contrast, South Koreans showed a remarkable increase in height, with males having a greater increase during the corresponding 25 years. Consequently, South Korean SSD increased significantly with time. These results support the hypothesis that improved nutritional quality increases SSD.