Recent reports have confirmed that Ohio Senator and former Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance stands at 6 feet, 2 inches tall. This revelation has put an end to online speculation and corrected previous misinformation regarding his height, which was sparked by an error on Google. The initial mistake listed Vance’s height as 5 feet, 7 inches, drawn from inaccurate data on his old IMDb profile.
This height discrepancy became a point of interest, especially when comparing Vance’s stature to that of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who claims to be 6 feet, 3 inches. Images of the two standing side-by-side led to theories about the accuracy of Trump’s self-reported height. However, with the confirmation of Vance’s 6’2″ stature by Intelligencer reporter Matt Stieb and Trump-Vance campaign communications director Will Martin, these height-related theories have been dispelled.
While the focus on JD Vance’s height might seem trivial, it emerges against a backdrop of a more significant trend: the decreasing average height of Americans compared to the rest of the world. Epidemiologists have noted that Vance, in his height, actually bucks this national trend. This raises questions about the factors influencing height and overall health in America today.
Professor Melinda C. Mills, director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science at the University of Oxford, explained to Newsweek the complex nature of height determination. “Height is determined both by genetics and the environment. It has been found to be around 60 to 80 percent environmental and 20 to 40 percent genetics.” She further highlighted a concerning trend, stating, “There is evidence that the average height of Americans has decreased since around 1980.”
The Height Advantage: More Than Just Stature
Interestingly, a person’s height can have implications beyond physical appearance. Research suggests a correlation between height and professional success. Professor Mills pointed out that for every extra 4 inches of height, there’s a potential increase in earnings – around 5 percent for men and a significant 12 percent for women.
“There is a myriad of studies that show height increases authority,” Mills added. She cited a study of FIFA referees where taller referees were observed to have better game control. However, she also cautioned against assuming direct causation, noting that taller individuals may have benefited from better resources and health during childhood, contributing to both their height and overall performance.
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance campaigning in Michigan. Vance has been confirmed to be 6 foot, 2 inches, putting to bed theories that he and Donald Trump are shorter than they admit.
America’s Shrinking Stature: A Sign of Health Concerns?
The declining average height in the U.S. may be indicative of broader public health issues. Mills suggested that this trend could reflect poor nutrition and unequal access to healthcare within the nation.
Historically, North Americans were among the tallest people globally in 1896, according to a 2016 study analyzing data from 18.6 million individuals by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration. However, this advantage diminished throughout the 20th century and began to stagnate, with the U.S. falling behind other developed nations from 1980 onwards.
Currently, the average height for young adult men in the U.S. is just over 5 feet, 9 inches. This is 2 inches shorter than the average in the Netherlands and less than in many other European countries, including the UK.
Mills emphasized the significance of height decline as “a reflection of the general health of a population and often a mirror of food supply, school meals, childhood stress and access to healthcare.” She contrasted this with the Netherlands, where the population has grown by an impressive 7.9 inches over the last 200 years, attributing this growth to “good environmental conditions and high dairy consumption.”
Health Disparities: US vs. UK
Further research underscores the concerning health trends in the U.S. A study by the Leverhulme Centre, published recently, compared middle-aged adults in the U.S. and the U.K. and found that Americans are significantly less healthy than their British counterparts.
Analyzing health data from 15,000 women born between 1970 and 1983 in both countries, scientists discovered that American women exhibited poorer heart health and higher obesity rates compared to British women. Even the most privileged American women showed similar or worse health outcomes than the most disadvantaged women in Britain, despite higher smoking rates among British women.
Andrea Tilstra, the study author, told Newsweek, “While the study does not directly test the causes of these trends, we speculate that the social environment is less conducive to healthy living in the United States, compared to Britain.” She pointed to factors like “worse access to free or subsidized healthcare and higher economic inequality” in the U.S., which can lead to increased stress and unhealthy behaviors related to diet and exercise.
Tilstra highlighted the stark socioeconomic disparities in the U.S., where the poorest adults are nearly eight times more likely to develop diabetes than the wealthiest. She expressed concern about these findings, stating they align with “troubling mortality trends among middle-aged Americans and lagging U.S. life expectancy compared to other rich countries.”
Professor Mills concluded that this research highlights the U.S.’s declining health status compared to European nations. “The U.S. is falling behind in health and life expectancy compared to similar high-income countries, so focusing on children thriving, access to good nutrition and healthcare would be an admirable goal,” she stated.
In conclusion, while JD Vance’s confirmed height of 6 feet 2 inches settles a minor online debate, it also serves as a starting point to consider broader issues. The discussion around his height inadvertently shines a light on the concerning trend of declining average height in America and the underlying health and socioeconomic factors that contribute to this trend. Addressing these systemic issues is crucial for improving the overall health and well-being of the U.S. population.
References
NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) (2016). eLife 5, e13410. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13410
Bridger Staatz, C., Gutin, I., Tilstra, A., Gimeno, L., Moltrecht, B., Moreno-Agostino, D., Moulton, V., Narayanan, M. K., Dowd, J. B., Gaydosh, L., & Ploubidis, G. B. (2024). Midlife health in Britain and the United States: A comparison of two nationally representative cohorts. International Journal of Epidemiology, 53(5). https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyae127
