Little'uns Are Life's Losers
By Hayley Birch
I've always known it and now scientists have proved it: short people suffer as a result of their height.First and foremost, I feel I must point out that I am in fact a little'un/shortass/midget/whatever it is the loftier among you like to call us. It is therefore, by my thinking, acceptable for me to poke fun at this "minority" group.
Opening windows, reaching the top shelf in the supermarket, being able to see the stage at gigs; things someone of average height wouldn't give a second thought to, but issues faced by the vertically challenged on a regular, even daily, basis. I should know.
All these added strains and stresses must take their toll. We shortasses are, essentially, living in a world designed for people of a completely different size. Now, finally, the UK Department of Health has published a report on our plight.
I can't help but be amused by the research methods. Scientists surveyed 14,000 study participants, and then measured them. As if they were cabbages, or clams or anything else one might feasibly measure in a scientific study. Not people.
The survey doesn't take into account actual wellbeing, but perceived wellbeing, using a measure termed "health-related quality of life" or HRQoL. Respondents were asked about five aspects of their lives: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. I must say, I can't remember ever experiencing any pain/discomfort due to my height - apart from that one time someone stood on me in the underground. "Usual activities", I assume, refer to everyday tasks such as the aforementioned opening of windows.
Unfortunately, what is not addressed in this study is how I should attempt to treat my impediment. Women of short stature, say scientists, could increase their HRQoL by 6.1% if they could increase their height by 6cm (the figure for men is 7cm). What do they propose to do? Stick me on a rack?
Hayley's ickle page.
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