Regional Differences In Adult Body Height In Kosovo

This study aimed to test average body heights in both the male and females of Kosovo, as well as the differences in heights of both sexes in relation to the Kosovo administrative regions. A total of 1623 subjects participated in the research: 830 boys and 793 girls all attending their final year of secondary school. The anthropometric measurements were taken for subjects of both sexes from five different administrative regions of Kosovo. The measurements of body heights were taken by trained measurers in conformity with the ISAK protocol. Means and standard deviations were calculated for ages and body heights, as were frequencies for the calculation of the density of very short and very tall subjects. The results indicated that the average height of the male population of Kosovo was 179.52 +/- 5.96 centimetres and of the female population 165.72 +/- 4.93 centimetres. These results classify both the male and female populations of Kosovo among the tallest in the world. Regarding the regional differences, some variations have been observed, and the differences in body heights among specific regions clearly confirm the assumption that the population living in the Dinaric Alps is taller in relation to the rest of the population, while the specific average height of the central region, where the capital city is located, reflects the expected situation conditioned by continuous migrations from all other parts of Kosovo, as well as the fact that there is a growing secular trend towards the territory of the capital city, due to better economic and living conditions.