Spence, J. C. (2003-2004). Height, weight, and nutritional status in Canada, 1885-1900.

In this study I am 1) documenting the average height and weight of Canadian males born in the latter part of the 19 th century, 2) determining if height and weight changed as a function of year of birth, and 3) assessing the feasibility of collecting and using height, weight, and chest girth data from the National Archives of Canada on enlistees for the South African War (1899-1902), First World War (1914-1918), Second World War (1939-1945), and the Korean Conflict (1950-1953). This study is the first to document the height and weight of a large number of Canadian males in an historical analysis. The relevance of this information is that it will shed some light on the health of the population as society was experiencing a profound shift in lifestyle as a result of technological advances.

Funded by Humanities, Fine Arts, and Social Sciences Research Grant - University of Alberta