title: Biological Conditions and Economic Development: Nineteenth-Century Stature on the U.S. Great Plains.
abstract: Average stature is now a well-accepted measure of material and economic well-being in development studies when traditional measures are sparse or unreliable, but little work has been done on the biological conditions for individuals on the nineteenth-century U.S. Great Plains. Records of 14,427 inmates from the Nebraska state prison are used to examine the relationship between stature and economic conditions. Statures of both black and white prisoners in Nebraska increased through time, indicating that biological conditions improved as Nebraska's output market and agricultural sectors developed. The effect of rural environments on stature is illustrated by the fact that farm laborers were taller than common laborers. Urbanization and industrialization had significant impacts on stature, and proximity to trade routes and waterways was inversely related to stature.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas, Permian Basin, 4901 East University, Odessa, TX, 79762, USA, Carson_S@utpb.edu.
authors.forename: Scott Alan
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Carson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000383:Agriculture / Q000266:history*; D001827:Body Height / Q000208:ethnology / Q000502:physiology*; D003132:Commerce; D057217:Economic Development / Q000266:history*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D000067896:Industrial Development / Q000266:history*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009329:Nebraska; D009752:Nutritional Status; D014481:United States; D014507:Urbanization / Q000266:history*; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult