London, United Kingdom. British children are not getting shorter and have been getting taller, according to an analysis of national child height data. Researchers said the trend is largely explained by rising childhood obesity and widening inequalities.
Claims about shrinking height
Claims that British children were becoming shorter than European peers have circulated in recent years and were often linked to poor diet and food insecurity. The analysis found many of these claims relied on incomplete or misinterpreted evidence.
Data sources and coverage
The researchers analysed height data from child measurement programmes operating across Britain, which measure children in their first year of state school and again in their final year of primary education. In England, around 600,000 children aged four to five are measured each year, and another 600,000 pupils aged ten to 11 are measured annually.
Accessing and analysing the dataset
The annual measurement of more than a million children creates a large dataset used to assess child growth trends. The researchers obtained all available height data through freedom of information requests and official releases.
Findings during the COVID period
The analysis reported two results, including that child height increased during the COVID pandemic. School closures disrupted measurement programmes and led to some children being measured later than usual at slightly older ages, but the increase remained after correcting for age at measurement.
The rise in height during COVID was observed among boys and girls, across levels of deprivation and most ethnic groups and localities.
What do you think should be investigated next to better explain why average child height increased during the COVID pandemic?
