Chapter 2 Secular Trends in Anthropometric Measures of Human Growth and Their Relationship to Net Nutritional Intake
1. Unless otherwise indicated, the term "height" refers to standing height. Later on in this chapter we shall encounter figures on sitting height, and I will specifically use the term "sitting height" when this is what I am discussing. [BACK]
2. Shay (1994) relies on figures for military recruits for his analysis. This makes a good deal of sense given the fact that he concentrates on regional analysis rather than time series analysis (the data for recruits are available for regions during the early twentieth century and later on for prefectures). In chapters 4 and 5 I provide a much less systematic analysis of regional differentials in height and the other anthropometric measures for military recruits than does Shay and therefore recommend that the reader interested in regional differentials consult his interesting analysis. [BACK]
3. I am grateful to Professor Osamu Saito of the Institute of Economic Research at Hitotsubashi University for pointing this out to me. [BACK]
4. For the weights and for comparisons between calorie intake on a per capita and on a per consumer unit weighted basis, see table 1. [BACK]
5. Kurosaki (1967) provides an excellent discussion of regional variation in food intake during the preindustrial period. He shows that in some areas of southern and northern Japan, for example, in southern Kyushu, potatoes, not rice, were the main staple foodstuff. Kito (1986) also gives figures on food consumption for regions of Japan during the nineteenth century. [BACK]
6. After the Rice Riots of 1918 Japan began to systematically import rice and other foodstuffs from its colonies, Korea and Taiwan. The figures on food consumption are based on consumption and not production and therefore take account of imports. For a discussion of imports and food policy before World War II, see Brandt 1993. For a discussion of Japanese food policy during World War II, see Johnston 1953. For a discussion of imports after World War II and estimates of income and price elasticities of demand for various foodstuffs, see Sanderson 1978. Uchino (1977) provides an excellent treatment, based on sur-
veys of households, of the changing nature of diet and of the role of urbanization in the shift toward more "Western" types of food consumption. [BACK]