I thought the same thing until I got to this part:
"Based on white and black U.S.-born adults ... Asians and Hispanics, who would make Americans appear even shorter, are excluded to better illuminate how the U.S. compares to Western Europeans."
Turns it from a "well, duh" to a "wow, interesting".
"Based on white and black U.S.-born adults ... Asians and Hispanics, who would make Americans appear even shorter, are excluded to better illuminate how the U.S. compares to Western Europeans."
Turns it from a "well, duh" to a "wow, interesting".