Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons^™

War, Forced Displacement And Growth In Laotian Adults, Patrick F. Clarkin

Patrick F. Clarkin

Background: Evidence from several populations suggests

that war negatively impacts civilian nutrition, physical growth and overall health. This effect is often enduring or permanent, particularly if experienced early in life.

Aim: To assess whether the number of lifetime displacement

experiences and being displaced in infancy were associated with adult height, sitting height, leg length and the sitting height ratio.

Subjects and methods: Retrospective questionnaires on

displacement and resettlement experiences and

anthropometric data were collected from a sample of Laotian adult refugees (ethnic Hmong and Lao; n ¼ 365). All were born in Laos or Thailand and had resettled in French …