Recently, a study was conducted by the Toronto Center for Addiction and Health, which suggested that shorter men were more prone to pedophilia than were taller men. The study cited the fact that adverse conditions inside the mother's womb, which may lead to underdevelopment, can contribute to short stature and some psychological issues. This led to the assumption that a shorter man can have an attraction to children. Here is a link to an article from the Toronto Star:
http://www.thestar.com/article/269404
NOSSA questions the validity of this study and wonders what purpose it is serving by releasing this information. Even if it is flawed, or skewed, it can still cause people to view us shorter people, especially men, with more cynicism than they already do. This story is inflammatory and could potentially lead to physical harm against short men who are otherwise innocent.
We are not going to question that fact that poor prenatal care, or irrresponsible mothering while a child is inside the womb, leads to poorer health down the road. However, to go as far as equating those issues with a propensity to commit heinous sexual acts against a child is preposterous and irresponsible!
It's bad enough that we are viewed as less intelligent than someone taller, seen as childish and immature, and unfairly labeled with a "Napoleon Complex" if we dare to be ambitious or outspoken; now we may have to deal with the stigma of pedophilia. Any other group would be outraged with this and NOSSA is no exception!
We do hope that all media types will address this particular issue immediately and not print or air the results of this fallacious and hurtful study.
I would like to thank Toronto Star reporter Lynda Hurst for her attention to this matter and giving us the opportunity to have our voices heard.
-Chris Hamre
Vice-President, NOSSA
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Shorter People Have A 'Chip On Their Shoulder' Which Makes Them Unhealthy?
Those not blessed with height are often accused of having a chip on their shoulder.
Now a study has found that they might, in fact, have an unhealthy attitude to life.
Short men and women apparently complain of poorer mental and physical health than those of an average height.
Researchers examined more than 14,000 responses to the 2003 Health Survey for England.
The subjects had given details of their height, weight, age, gender, long-standing illness and social class.
They were then asked to rate their health on a range of indicators such as mobility, pain and depression.
Those in the shortest height category - men shorter than 5ft 4in and women shorter than 5ft - reported much poorer health, according to the report in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.
The survey did not ascertain how healthy they actually were, just how well they thought they were.
Lead researcher Dr Torsten Christensen said: "Using this large and nationally representative sample of the UK population, we found shorter people report that they experience lower physical and mental well-being than taller people do.
"Our results also indicate that the shorter someone is, the stronger this relationship becomes."
She added that an increase in height of one inch would have a positive impact on the healthrelated quality of life of a short person, whereas the effect of an extra inch would be negligible for a person of normal height.
Dr Christensen found that short people would have a 6 per cent higher health rating if they were around three inches taller.
This is the equivalent to the health benefit experienced by an obese person losing two and a half stones.
Dr Christensen, of Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk, added: "We know that people who are short experience more difficulties in areas of their life such as education, employment and relationships than people of a normal height.
"Although our study does not show that short height directly causes a reduction in physical and mental health, it does indicate that short people are more likely to feel that they experience a lower healthrelated quality of life."
She added: "Further research is now needed to clarify the precise relationship between changes in height and health-related quality of life."
Short height in adult life can either be due to normal development or can be caused by a number of diseases such as growth hormone deficiency and Turner syndrome.
Treatment with growth hormone for children with these conditions can increase their final height by as much as four inches.
The study shows that these height increases could have a huge positive effect on a person's mental wellbeing once they grow up.
Well, there you have it people. The solution to heightism is to be taller. So I suppose the solution to racism is to be caucasion; solution to sexism is to be male; solution to weightism is to be skinny; solution to extreme tall heightism is to be average height; solution to gay prejudice is to be straight; solution to religous discrimination is to worship whatever religion is norm....etc. etc.
Now a study has found that they might, in fact, have an unhealthy attitude to life.
Short men and women apparently complain of poorer mental and physical health than those of an average height.
Researchers examined more than 14,000 responses to the 2003 Health Survey for England.
The subjects had given details of their height, weight, age, gender, long-standing illness and social class.
They were then asked to rate their health on a range of indicators such as mobility, pain and depression.
Those in the shortest height category - men shorter than 5ft 4in and women shorter than 5ft - reported much poorer health, according to the report in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.
The survey did not ascertain how healthy they actually were, just how well they thought they were.
Lead researcher Dr Torsten Christensen said: "Using this large and nationally representative sample of the UK population, we found shorter people report that they experience lower physical and mental well-being than taller people do.
"Our results also indicate that the shorter someone is, the stronger this relationship becomes."
She added that an increase in height of one inch would have a positive impact on the healthrelated quality of life of a short person, whereas the effect of an extra inch would be negligible for a person of normal height.
Dr Christensen found that short people would have a 6 per cent higher health rating if they were around three inches taller.
This is the equivalent to the health benefit experienced by an obese person losing two and a half stones.
Dr Christensen, of Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk, added: "We know that people who are short experience more difficulties in areas of their life such as education, employment and relationships than people of a normal height.
"Although our study does not show that short height directly causes a reduction in physical and mental health, it does indicate that short people are more likely to feel that they experience a lower healthrelated quality of life."
She added: "Further research is now needed to clarify the precise relationship between changes in height and health-related quality of life."
Short height in adult life can either be due to normal development or can be caused by a number of diseases such as growth hormone deficiency and Turner syndrome.
Treatment with growth hormone for children with these conditions can increase their final height by as much as four inches.
The study shows that these height increases could have a huge positive effect on a person's mental wellbeing once they grow up.
Well, there you have it people. The solution to heightism is to be taller. So I suppose the solution to racism is to be caucasion; solution to sexism is to be male; solution to weightism is to be skinny; solution to extreme tall heightism is to be average height; solution to gay prejudice is to be straight; solution to religous discrimination is to worship whatever religion is norm....etc. etc.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
T-shirts of our own.
Show your support for NOSSA, National Organization Of Short Statured Adults by purchasing one of our t-shirts at http://www.cafepress.com/nossa Be proud of who you are and show everyone that you support your fellow short statured brothers and sisters. Proceeds go directly towards the fight against heightism.
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