Many low- and middle-income countries are experiencing rapid lifestyle transformations, including market integration (MI) and nutrition transition, with implications for children’s growth and metabolic health. Here, we investigate diet patterns and growth among the Shuar, an Indigenous Amazonian group in Ecuador experiencing wide variation in MI and emerging risk for obesity. Food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) were administered to 178 Shuar households between 2009-2017 and consumption estimates for 19 nutrients were generated. Children’s (n = 409, aged 0-12 years) height-for-age (HAZ) and BMI-for-age (BAZ) z-scores were calculated using WHO standards. Overall, 35.9% of children were stunted and 17.1% were overweight. Principal component analysis of FFQ data loaded onto 5 components, and 5 food groups were constructed using items loaded above a threshold. Children’s BAZ was negatively related to the consumption of foods in the 'Vegetables' group (β = -0.02, SE = 0.008, p = .02) and positively related to consumption of foods in the 'Market Junk Foods' group (β = 0.05, SE = 0.02, p = .003). Foods in the ‘Market Staples’ group were positively associated with HAZ (β = .023, SE = 0.01, p = .035). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis of household nutrients identified phosphorus consumption as the strongest predictor of child stunting. Each additional daily gram of phosphorus consumed reduced stunting likelihood by 0.32% after adjusting for confounding variables (β = -0.003, SE = 0.001, p = .007). These findings provide insight into the impact of dietary transition on Shuar child growth and metabolic health risk.

Introduction: Systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) is a chronic, multifactorial disease characterized by persistent elevation of blood pressure. It is considered one of the main cardiovascular risk factors, which worsens when there is no early and adequate diagnosis associated with an adverse clinical profile. Objective: To assess the health status of young adults with SAH phenotypes in primary care. Method: Population-based, multicenter (LapARC - Rio de Janeiro study arm), cross-sectional study. Our center is located in the municipality of Santarém, Pará, Brazil. Young adults (20 to 50 years old) were assessed in relation to their cardiovascular risk profile, sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometry and electrical bioimpedance. Office blood pressure (OBP) was measured and 7-day Home Blood Pressure Monitoring (HBPM) was carried out. Results: 182 people were assessed, 21.4% were men, the average age was 39.4 ± 7.9 and more than half of the population had abdominal obesity (58.8%), a sedentary lifestyle (56%) and dyslipidemia (76.9%). Among those with white coat hypertension, increased abdominal circumference (83.3%) and metabolic syndrome (66.7%) were associated. Among those with sustained hypertension, in addition to metabolic syndrome (65.2%), increased neck circumference (21.7%) was associated, as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, which were statistically high. Furthermore, metabolic syndrome demonstrated an association with both OBP (Odds Ratio - OR=5.84) and HBPM (OR=3.60). Conclusion: The cardiometabolic profile is unfavorable and metabolic syndrome was the factor that was independently associated with lack of office and home blood pressure control.

Age at menarche (AAM) is an important reproductive development milestone, correlated with women’s reproductive and health trajectories making it critically important to understand its determinants. In addition to environmental factors, such as diet, physical and social stress, genetics have been shown to contribute to 50-80% of the variation in AAM. To improve our understanding of reproductive trajectories in Indigenous, not industrialized, populations we evaluated heritability of AAM among a group of mothers and daughters in a rural Mayan population. Contrary to other studies’ reports, we found heritability of AAM to be low (0.107), and not statistically significant (p= 0.759). In contrast, heritability of height in this population was 0.7582 (p= 0.047), which is consistent with other height heritability reports. We hypothesized that our low AAM heritability findings could be explained by inaccuracies in self-reported AAM. We tested this hypothesis using AAM self-reports collected from the daughters around the time they experienced menarche and then, 6 years later. Consistent with our hypothesis, daughters self-reported AAM differed by an average of half a year between the time they experience menarche and 6 years later (avg = +0.513 years on the second report). Furthermore, a third of daughters reported an AAM that differed from the original by a year or more. No second measurement from the mothers existed to replicate this analysis. Future research should aim to better understand how contextual understandings of age and recall bias may influence the accuracy of self-reported AAM and identify better research methods to study reproductive development.

The need for population-based and culturally appropriate health measures has been well-documented, including in the Arctic. Approaches that allow for self-determined health measures, such as this concept mapping for Unangax̂ healthy living in St. Paul, Alaska, provide the opportunity to properly articulate and acknowledge Indigenous histories and experiences that are intrinsic to health outcomes and the local context. By creating an Unangax̂ healthy living conceptual framework in partnership with the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, this project privileges Indigenous voices in the pursuit of improving Indigenous health and reducing Indigenous health disparities.

This is a qualitative research using a bioanthropological approach, involving mother-baby dyads of high and low socioeconomic status (SES) from the city of Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon, with the objective of understanding the challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic in the self-care of women during pregnancy and puerperium, the impacts on parental care and which strategies were most commonly used by women during this special period. Different socioeconomic strata were analyzed to identify the self-care conditions considered necessary by women during pregnancy, as well as care for the baby during the puerperal period in the midst of a pandemic. A protocol was developed considering the international epidemiological recommendations, using face-to-face interviews, when possible, and online meetings, with mothers of babies in the first two months of life. Data collection took place between July 2021 and March 2022. Twenty-one women participated in the research. In general, mothers encountered difficulties in social interaction with family, assistance from family members, self-care, reduced income, and lack of prenatal consultations during the pandemic, but they found some ways to alleviate the difficulties by using social networks such as E-mail, WhatsApp, Instagram, and YouTube for consultations, information, and also to generate income. The study provided an overview of how the pandemic affected mothers and babies from different SES in a major Amazon city and how they reacted. The findings may contribute to the planning of public policies aimed at maternal and child care during periods of prolonged crises, such as epidemics, pandemics and environmental disasters.

Sickness is a universal human experience, yet perceptions of illness, attendant symptoms, and cultural norms surrounding sickness likely vary across societies. Despite this, relatively few studies have quantified these variations. In this exploratory study, we surveyed 91 adult Hadzabe (mean age = 39 years, 46% female) from six camps about sickness, including questions about sensations defining sickness and whether sick individuals are exempt from common responsibilities. We modified the SicknessQ, a validated measure of sickness behavior, to assess whether common sickness sensations (e.g., fatigue) were acknowledged. Most participants (84.6%-94.5%) agreed that it is acceptable to ask for help or refrain from household tasks (e.g., hunting, collecting water) when unwell. There was minimal gender discrepancy across SicknessQ items, except for nausea, with more women (78.6%) than men (57.1%) endorsing this sensation as indicative of sickness. In general, Hadzabe understandings of sickness align with biomedical understandings, though most Hadzabe participants (75%) indicated that they preferred not to be alone when sick. The permissive attitudes toward work during sickness contrast with high presenteeism (i.e., working while sick) rates in many Global North societies. These differences may be attributable to kith and kin in Hadzabe camps that are willing to take care of a sick person’s tasks on their behalf. As the Hadzabe increasingly integrate into a market economy, their perceptions and attitudes toward illness may shift toward greater presenteeism. Further studies will be necessary to assess the impact of market integration on Hadzabe concepts of sickness.

Introduction: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is an underdiagnosed medical condition with an increasing prevalence due to rising obesity rates and improved diagnostic tools, and is recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiac and metabolic morbidities. Objective: To screen for OSA risk and cardiometabolic profile in primary health care. Method: Population-based, multicenter (LapARC - Rio de Janeiro study arm), cross-sectional study, Our center is located in the municipality of Santarém, Pará, Brazil. Young adults (20 to 50 years old) were assessed in relation to their cardiovascular risk profile, sociodemographic characteristics, bioimpedance and anthropometry. OSA was screened using the Stop-Bang Questionnaire (QSB) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), with QSB scores ≥ 3 and ESS scores ≥ 10 identifying high-risk patients (HR). Office blood pressure was measured and Home Blood Pressure Monitoring was carried out. Results: The study assessed 267 individuals, in which 87 (32.6%) were identified as having high risk for OSA by the QSB questionnaire, 98 (36.7%) by the ESE and 43 (16.1%) by both scales, with OSA being more prevalent among men (32.8%), in older, obese, with increased neck circumference, sedentary, dyslipidemic, diabetic and hypertensive individuals. Conclusion: the population showed classic and modifiable cardiovascular risk characteristics, which probably impacted the high prevalence of high risk for OSA and this suggests that, although young, this population is not as healthy as is doubtfully idealized.

Births have occurred at home with family and trusted community members for the majority of human history. Although the evolutionary mechanisms underlying childbirth complications remain debated, they occur in a small number of births and can negatively affect maternal-newborn outcomes. When homebirthing parents in the United States experience complications, they may opt to transfer from the home to a hospital for biomedical care. There were ~30,000 homebirths per year, and an estimated 3,000-12,000 home-to-hospital transfers per year (pre-COVID), with a significant increase in homebirths during the pandemic. However, the decentralized US healthcare system, and state and hospital-level variation in midwifery integration (i.e., the degree to which midwifery care is incorporated into state-level legislation and hospital policy), produce barriers to integration as well as varying transfer rates. Our hypothesis was that transfer rates will correlate with integration levels. We used the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) Stats 4.0, a secondary anonymized dataset containing U.S. home and birth center data from 2012-2018 (n= 47,883 births). To analyze integration, we used two predictor variables: 1) integration score, a summary of homebirth and midwife-related laws and regulations and 2) barrier state, (e.g., if a US state provided licensure for homebirth midwives). We ran logistic regression models to determine if either predictor was associated with home-to-hospital transfer. Preliminary results show that integration score and state barrier status were significantly and negatively associated with newborn transfer rates, but were not significant predictors of intrapartum or postpartum transfer.

Recently, intimate partner violence has surpassed obstetric and postpartum complications to be the leading cause of death among pregnant mothers in the United States. The causes remain a matter of speculation. Current consensus posits that gun violence and overall high rates of intimate partner violence (1 in 3 women) in the US are responsible for the shift in maternal femicide as the leading cause of maternal mortality. While gun violence has been identified as occurring in 68% of lethal maternal femicides, we suggest rather that male violence against female intimate partners relies on other causal factors which lead to biopolicing of women's bodies in intimate partner relationships in the United States.. By exploring a cross cultural comparison of hunter gatherer communities, countries with differing intimate partner crime protocols, and other countries with similar gun ownership rates against intimate partner crime and social statistics in the United States in order to identify possible biosocial causation. As the United States surpasses the rest of the world in both intimate partner crime as well as maternal femicide, identifying and preventing intimate partner violence is key to increasing maternal health in the United States.

The prevalence of gender and sexual diverse (GSD) identities, behaviors and attractions reflects changing societal norms concerning sexuality and as such is subjected to dynamic intergenerational changes. In this study, we aimed at investigating the prevalence of GSD identities, behaviors, and attractions in the representative sample of Polish adults from four generations. We expected to observe an intergenerational increase in the prevalence of GSD identities, behaviors and attractions, with the highest rates among the youngest respondents.

This study utilized stratified sampling. Demographic and questionnaire data was collected through an online research platform. Statistical analyses were performed using R studio.

9366 Polish adults (51.6% assigned female at birth, AFAB) aged 44.5 years participated in the study. The final sample included 20% Baby Boomers, 30% Gen X, 35% Millennials and 15% Gen Z respondents. Nearly one in ten participants revealed GSD sexual or gender identity.

We observed a progressive decline in the proportion of self-identified cisgender heterosexual participants across all four generations with the highest percentage among Boomers and lowest among Gen Z participants. Nearly one in six Gen Z respondents identified as LGBTQA+ person as compared to only 3% of Boomers. Similar patterns were observed in the case of sexual and romantic attractions and behaviors. Additionally, exclusive heterosexual attractions and behaviors were less prevalent among AFAB participants within each distinguished generation.

Our results are consistent with data from other large representative studies and indicate significant societal changes related to genders and sexualities particularly evident among younger generations.

A significant portion of adults with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, also known as long COVID, are known to exhibit long-term psychiatric symptoms, including depression, suicidality, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Childhood adversity is a well-documented risk factor for adult mental illness, and growing research suggests that early stress exposure may increase later-life risk for elevated systemic inflammation, a mechanism hypothesized to underlie the psychiatric sequelae of long COVID. Little is known, however, about the role of childhood adversity in shaping long COVID symptoms. This study investigated the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and long-term psychiatric symptoms among adults with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. This observational study took place in Johannesburg, South Africa between August 2022-July 2023 and stemmed from a larger project focused on characterising long COVID. A total of 305 adults were categorised into one of four case groups based on their initial COVID-19 symptoms: asymptomatic, symptomatic, hospitalised, and a vaccinated control group. The average number of ACEs reported was five out of 20. In fully adjusted models, ACEs were associated with greater symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and somatisation, but not suicidality and symptoms of bipolar disorder. These results suggest that childhood adversity may predispose individuals to increased psychiatric morbidity after SARS-CoV-2 infection and possibly during long COVID. Further research is necessary to examine the extent to which childhood adversity durably shapes adult immune activity and precipitates the psychiatric sequelae of long COVID, in order to identify possible mechanisms facilitating the long-term psychiatric effects of childhood adversity.

The present study aims to explore the associations of adult limb proportions, representing the end point of the linear growth that occurs in childhood, with childhood socioeconomic background. Life history theory frames energy according to the laws of thermodynamics as a finite resource allocated between basic survival costs (metabolic functions, physical activity, and immunity) and productive costs (growth/maintenance, or reproduction). Energetic deficits through lack of access to resources and/or increased exposure to stressors are associated with the disadvantaged biocultural environments often afforded to individuals with lower socioeconomic status. These deficits may impact growth outcomes. We use anthropometric and demographic data collected from 193 adult (aged 20–50 years; m=99, f=94) individuals whose computed tomography scans are housed in the New Mexico Decedent Image Database to explore how various limb proportions differ between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) levels. Relationships are tested using ANCOVA and BCa bootstrap intervals. Individuals from upper-class backgrounds have larger dimensions for a given trunk length across all measurements. The most significant between-SES differences are found in the ulna (p=0.02) and tibia (p=0.03). While individuals who face resource deficits in early childhood may undergo catch-up growth during adolescence, our study suggests the material disadvantage offered by low SES in New Mexico prevents this catch-up growth from equalizing body proportions. Our study demonstrates the importance of the ulna and tibia as biomarkers of childhood biocultural environments.