  human height or stature is the distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head in a human body, standing erect. it is measured using a stadiometer, usually in centimetres when using the metric system, and feet and inches when using the imperial system. adult human height has varied from under  to over . on average, males are taller than females. when populations share genetic background and environmental factors, average height is frequently characteristic within the group. exceptional height variation (around 20% deviation from average) within such a population is sometimes due to gigantism or dwarfism, which are medical conditions caused by specific genes or endocrine abnormalities.ganong, william f. (2001) review of medical physiology, lange medical, pp. 392â397, isbn 0071605673. in regions of poverty or warfare, environmental factors like chronic malnutrition during childhood or adolescence may account for delayed growth and/or marked reductions in adult stature even without the presence of any of these medical conditions. ==determinants of growth and height== thumb|right|300px|median (50th percentile) growth curves for male and female 0â20 years. the study of height is known as auxology.hermanussen, michael (ed) (2013) auxology â studying human growth and development, schweizerbart, isbn 9783510652785. growth has long been recognized as a measure of the health of individuals, hence part of the reasoning for the use of growth charts. for individuals, as indicators of health problems, growth trends are trac
Anthropology Anthropometry Auxology Human_height Size