Biological Living Standards and Nutritional Health Inequality in Transition to the Developed World

Dear Colleagues,

The secular trends associated with human height and other anthropometric variables (body mass index, among others) in relation to indicators of nutritional health and population well-being is analyzed by various disciplines. Human height reflects both past biological living standards and inequality. We have a good knowledge of the evolution of human stature in high-income countries over the last centuries, but more research is required on its determinants in relation to different environments and socioeconomic groups. Secular trends in height and other anthropometric variables, as well as variability in low- and medium-income countries, are of special interest for public health and child nutrition policies. Anthropometric studies from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern and Southern Europe, and the Middle East are welcome.

This Special Issue aims to publish manuscripts on the dynamics of biological living standards and nutritional health in human populations in social and economic transition. The historical experience of the industrialized and urbanized western world can be useful for the poorest populations today. We welcome the submission of manuscripts that explore the short- and long-term effects of the environment on biological well-being, using the main anthropometric indicators by generational cohorts. The goal is to cover aspects of height and body mass evolution at different stages of the life cycle, mainly on the basis of data from children and adolescents from both the remote and recent past. Analyses of the social height gap and rural–urban and intra-urban differences in biological well-being are of special interest. Studies that analyze the impact of nutritional crises and of the prevalence of malnutrition on the evolution of stature and other anthropometric or physiological variables are welcome. Likewise, comparative studies of countries, regions, social classes, and different socioeconomic circumstances are of interest. We encourage research papers in disciplines such as anthropology, public health, history, economics, and sociology.

Prof. Dr. José Miguel Martínez-Carrión
Dr. Carlos Varea
Prof. Dr. Ricardo Salvatore
Guest Editors

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