title: Month of birth, socioeconomic background and height in rural Chinese men.
abstract: This study examines the effects of birth month and socioeconomic factors on height in rural Chinese men. The analysis of sample data of 833 adult men, 18-52 years of age, collected from 600 families in rural Hebei in 2005, shows that adult men born in winter months (November to January) are, on average, 1.04 cm shorter (p<0.01) than those born during the rest of the year. In addition to the conventional OLS regression models, the household fixed and random effects models also indicate that the month-of-birth effect exists when socioeconomic variables are controlled for. The birth-month effect on height is, however, smaller than effects of socioeconomic variables, including the household registration status, household economy and father's class status.
authors: Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, Canada.
authors: Weiguo
authors: W
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001827:Body Height; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005190:Family; D005191:Family Characteristics; D006801:Humans; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036801:Parturition; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012621:Seasons; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult