The Heritability and Height of Children: A Analysis of Parent-Offspring Correlation
The heritability of a trait is the extent to which it is inherited from one’s parents, and is usually expressed as a proportion or percentage. For example, the offspring-midparent correlation can give an estimate of the heritability of a trait such as height. The correlation coefficient of height data from students in school is 0.65. According to this value, 65 percent of variation in height between offspring and their parents can be attributed directly to their average height. Ober et.al.’s research further supports the notion of heritability in height. (2015) found that 80 percent of height heritability is possible. Similarly, Loehlin et al. In 2019, Loehlin and colleagues found that height-related heritability rates varied from 0.64 up to 0.86 among different populations. Higher heritability levels were observed in countries with more economic development. Sesardic’s 2020 study on the heritability for height found that it was higher in the developed world, with a range of 0.55 to 0.86.