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Starkweather KE, Keith MH, Zohora FT, Alam N. Economic impacts and nutritional outcomes of the 2017 floods in Bangladeshi Shodagor fishing families. Am J Hum Biol 2023; 35:e23826. [PMID: 36331095 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES As climate change continues to increase the frequency and severity of flooding in Bangladesh and globally, it becomes increasingly critical to understand the pathways through which flooding influences health outcomes, particularly in lower-income and subsistence-based communities. We aim to assess economic pathways that link flooding to nutritional outcomes among Shodagor fishing families in Bangladesh. METHODS We examine longitudinal economic data on kilograms of fish caught, the income earned from those fish, and household food expenditures (as a proxy for dietary intake) from before, during, and after severe flooding in August-September of 2017 to enumerate the impacts of flooding on Shodagor economics and nutrition. We also analyze seasonally collected anthropometric data to model the effects of flooding and household food expenditures on child growth rates and changes to adult body size. RESULTS While Shodagor fishing income declined during the 2017 flooding, food expenditures simultaneously spiked with market inflation, and rice became the predominant expenditure only during and immediately following the flood. Our nutritional models show that children and adults lost more body mass in households that spent more money on rice during the flood. Shodagor children lost an average of 0.36 BMI-for-age z-scores and adults lost an average of 0.32 BMI units during the flooded 2017 rainy season, and these metrics continued to decline across subsequent seasons and did not recover by the end of the study period in 2019. CONCLUSIONS These results show major flood-induced economic impacts that contributed to loss of child and adult body mass among Shodagor fishing families in Bangladesh. More frequent and severe flooding will exacerbate these nutritional insults, and more work is needed to effectively stabilize household nutrition throughout natural disasters and economic hardship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrine E Starkweather
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Monica H Keith
- Department of Anthropology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Fatema Tuz Zohora
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, ICDDR, B, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Nurul Alam
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, ICDDR, B, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Thayer Z, Uwizeye G, McKerracher L. Toolkit article: Approaches to measuring social inequities in health in human biology research. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23804. [PMID: 36173013 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Across populations, human morbidity and mortality risks generally follow clear gradients, with socially-disadvantaged individuals and groups tending to have higher morbidity and mortality at all life stages relative to those more socially advantaged. Anthropologists specialize in understanding the proximate and ultimate factors that shape variation in human biological functioning and health and are therefore well-situated to explore the relationships between social position and health in diverse ecological and cultural contexts. While human biologists have developed sophisticated methods for assessing health using minimally-invasive methods, at a disciplinary level, we have room for conceptual and methodological improvement in how we frame, measure, and analyze the social inequities that might shape health inequities. This toolkit paper elaborates on some steps human biologists should take to enhance the quality of our research on health inequities. Specifically, we address: (1) how to frame unequal health outcomes (i.e., inequalities vs. disparities vs. inequities) and the importance of identifying our conceptual models of how these inequities emerge; (2) how to measure various axes of social inequities across diverse cultural contexts, and (3) approaches to community collaboration and dissemination. We end by discussing (4) future directions in human biology research of health inequities, including understanding the ultimate causes of sensitivity to social inequities and transitioning from research to action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaneta Thayer
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Glorieuse Uwizeye
- Arthur Labatt School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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Starkweather KE, Keith MH, Prall SP, Alam N, Zohora F, Emery Thompson M. Are fathers a good substitute for mothers? Paternal care and growth rates in Shodagor children. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22148. [PMID: 34087947 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Biparental care is a hallmark of human social organization, though paternal investment varies between and within societies. The facultative nature of paternal care in humans suggests males should invest when their care improves child survival and/or quality, though testing this prediction can be challenging because of the difficulties of empirically isolating paternal effects from those of other caregivers. Additionally, the broader context in which care is provided, vis-à-vis care from mothers and others, may lead to different child outcomes. Here, we examine the effects of paternal care on child growth among Shodagor fisher-traders, where fathers provide high levels of both additive and substitutive care, relative to mothers. We modeled seasonal z-scores and velocities for height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) outcomes using linear mixed models. Our evidence indicates that, as predicted, the context of paternal care is an important predictor of child outcomes. Results show that environmental seasonality and alloparental help contribute to a nuanced understanding of the impact of Shodagor paternal care on child physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E Starkweather
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - M H Keith
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - S P Prall
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - N Alam
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, ICDDR,B, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - F Zohora
- Health Systems and Population Studies Division, ICDDR,B, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - M Emery Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Zhu P, Wu M, Huang P, Zhao X, Ji X. Children from nuclear families with bad parental relationship could develop tic symptoms. Mol Genet Genomic Med 2020; 8:e1286. [PMID: 32419379 PMCID: PMC7336767 DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.1286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 01/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies have reported the impact of chronic childhood and adolescent tic disorder (TD) on families. However, few researches focused on the relationship between family environment and diagnosis of TD. We aim to assess the influence of couple relationship and family structure on the onset of TD. METHODS A total of 660 parents of patients with TD (aged 6-12 years) and 641 parents of controls completed questionnaires. Couple relationship and family structure were selected by regression of binary logistic analysis as the risk factors. Couple relationship was divided into the harmonious, common, hostile, and divorced. Family structure included unconventional family, nuclear family, and unite family. Multivariate correspondence analysis was designed to explore relationships among categorical variables of couple relationship and family structure. RESULTS There were significant associations between TD and couple relationship (Exp B = 1.310, p = .006, 95% CI = 1.080-1.590), family structure (Exp B = 0.668, p = .001, 95% CI = 0.526 ~ 0.847), gender (Exp B = 0.194, p < .001, 95% CI = 0.149-0.254), respectively. Obviously contradicted and common couple relationships were risk factors for TD compared with the harmonious and divorced. Children form unconventional family or nuclear family were prone to develop TD. Interestingly, divorced parents had the same protective effect as harmonious parents. The OR value could increase with the number and level of those risk factors. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, children from nuclear families with bad parental relationship could be more likely to develop tic symptoms. The family intervention of children with TD should focus on family structure and parental relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengcheng Zhu
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Wu
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Pinxian Huang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Zhao
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoyi Ji
- Jiaxing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Jiaxing, China
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Keith MH, Blomquist GE, Flinn MV. Anthropometric heritability and child growth in a Caribbean village: A quantitative genetic analysis of longitudinal height, weight, and body mass index in Bwa Mawego, Dominica. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 170:393-403. [PMID: 31460671 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Body size and composition vary widely among individuals and populations, and long-term research in diverse contexts informs our understanding of genetic, cultural, and environmental impacts on this variation. We analyze longitudinal measures of height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) from a Caribbean village, estimating the extent to which these anthropometrics are shaped by genetic variance in a small-scale population of mixed ancestry. MATERIALS AND METHODS Longitudinal data from a traditionally horticultural village in Dominica document height and weight in a non-Western population that is transitioning to increasingly Westernized lifestyles, and an 11-generation pedigree enables us to estimate the proportions of phenotypic variation in height, weight, and BMI attributed to genetic variation. We assess within-individual variation across growth curves as well as heritabilities of these traits for 260 individuals using Bayesian variance component estimation. RESULTS Age, sex, and secular trends account for the majority of anthropometric variation in these longitudinal data. Independent of age, sex, and secular trends, our analyses show high repeatabilities for the remaining variation in height, weight, and BMI growth curves (>0.75), and moderate heritabilities (h2 height = 0.68, h2 weight = 0.64, h2 BMI = 0.49) reveal clear genetic signals that account for large proportions of the variation in body size observed between families. Secular trends show increases of 6.5% in height and 16.0% in weight from 1997 to 2017. DISCUSSION This horticultural Caribbean population has transitioned to include more Westernized foods and technologies over the decades captured in this analysis. BMI varies widely between individuals and is significantly shaped by genetic variation, warranting future exploration with other physiological correlates and associated genetic variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica H Keith
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | | | - Mark V Flinn
- Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
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Starkweather K, Keith M. One piece of the matrilineal puzzle: the socioecology of maternal uncle investment. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20180071. [PMID: 31303168 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal uncle relationships in which men invest resources (usually in the form of inheritance of material wealth) into their sisters' children are characteristic of matrilineal systems and hypothesized to arise under certain socioecological circumstances, but little research has systematically investigated conditions that are associated with this type of investment. We quantify relationships between household-level socioeconomic variables and different types of maternal uncle investment (direct care and indirect resource investment) within a bilateral, semi-nomadic population. Shodagor people of Bangladesh allow us to consider matrilineal behaviours in an evolutionary framework owing to their flexible social structure in which 39% of families receive some investment from a maternal uncle. Variables associated with direct maternal uncle care reflect the significance of maintaining consistent residence throughout the year and an increased need for childcare in families residing on boats versus those living on the land. Informative predictors of indirect investment indicate that a mother's birth history corresponds with more tangible contributions such as food and clothing. These results identify household-level variables specific to direct versus indirect maternal uncle investment, whereas having more older brothers or being firstborn increased the odds of a mother receiving any investment from brothers at all. Exploring these social and ecological associations in a bilateral, relatively flexible population unveils household circumstances that may lead to the development of female-biased kinship. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrine Starkweather
- 1 Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institut fur Evolutionare Anthropologie , Leipzig, Sachsen , Germany.,2 Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico , Albuquerque, NM , USA
| | - Monica Keith
- 3 Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri Columbia College of Arts and Science , Columbia, MO , USA
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Martin MA. Biological Anthropology in 2018: Grounded in Theory, Questioning Contexts, Embracing Innovation. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.13233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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