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Title:
Long-Term Changes in Nutrition, Welfare and Productivity in Britain; Physical and Socio-Economic Characteristics of Boys Recruited into the Marine Society, 1770-1873

Subject Categories:
Economic conditions and indicators - Economics
General - Health
Economic history - History
Nutrition - Health
Medical history - History
Social indicators and quality of life - Society and culture
Population history - History
Social history - History

Depositor(s):
Floud, R., University of London. Birkbeck College. Department of History

Principal Investigator(s):
Floud, R., University of London. Birkbeck College. Department of History

Sponsor(s):
Economic and Social Research Council
National Bureau of Economic Research (U.S.)

Abstract:
To use information about the heights of the British since the middle of the eighteenth century to describe their nutritional status and to explore its relationship to the welfare and productivity of that population
Main Topics:
Variables
Height, age, occupation of boy and parent, place of residence, date of recruitment, ability to read and write, date of apprenticeship if relevant, whether had smallpox, nearest relative (kinship category, name)

Coverage:
Time Period Covered: 1770-1873
Country: England
Geography: London
Spatial Units: No information recorded
Observation Units: Groups

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:Subnational
Population:Poor boys aged 12-18 (mostly 13-16) which the Marine Society recruited clothed and sent as servants to the Navy or as apprentices to merchant ships; those very short or unfit excluded, England 1770-1873.

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Time Series
Sampling Procedures: The data were sampled for time periods in which the Society did not change the height standards for recruitment: 1770-75, 1780-83, 1792-93, 1800-04, 1811-13, 1816-17, 1818-20, 1821-23, 1824-25, 1826-28, 1838-39, 1842-44, 1845-47 and 1860-61. It was intended to get samples of about 500 cases for each date period (if that number were recruited in the period), and a systematic sample was taken of the MSYO and MSYQ datasets, keeping the proportion of each in the samples the same as in the total population. The samples also, however, incorporate some early samples of MSYO birth cohort data, for dates of birth 1756-57, 1778 and 1798 (a random sample of a quarter of the data were taken for the last two dates)
Number of Units: Files without socio-economic data 51276 (obtained)
Files with socio-economic data 7180 (obtained)
Method of Data Collection: Compilation or synthesis of existing material

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required. Available to all registered users. The depositor may be informed about usage.
Availability: History Data Service, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: hds@essex.ac.uk

Date of Release:
First Edition: 7 July 1986

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