Continuous poverty during toddler years can curb the height of children by the time they reach kindergarten, even in industrialized countries, according to new research from the Université de Montréal. Regardless of hereditary factors such as maternal height and education level, according to the finding published in the Journal of Epidemiology Community Health , children from poor families are more likely to be shorter than their peers. The study was authored by Zéphyre Ehounoux, a Master's student at the Université de Montréal's Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, and directed by Professors Maria-Victoria Zunzunegui, Louise Séguin, Lise Gauvin and researcher Béatrice Nikiema.