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Life History Theory is a powerful framework that can help promote understanding of variation in health-related behavioral patterns and why they vary consistent with environmental conditions. An organism's life history reflects tradeoffs made in the allocation of effort towards specific aspects of survival and reproduction across the lifespan. This study examines the relationship between psychological indicators of life history strategy and health related behaviors in a demographically representative sample in the Midwestern USA. Slower life histories predicted higher levels of health promoting behaviors and lower levels of health adverse behaviors, even when controlling for relevant socio-demographic factors. The analyses provide a strong test of the hypothesized relationship between life history and health behavior indicators, as life history variation co-varies with these socio-demographic factors. Traditional public health efforts may be reaching their limits of effectiveness in encouraging health-promoting behaviors. Integrating an evolutionary framework may revitalize behavioral health promotion efforts., La teoría de historia de vida es un marco poderoso que puede ayudar en la promoción del entendimiento de la variación en los patrones conductuales de salud y por qué varían según las condiciones ambientales. La historia de vida de un organismo refleja los compromisos hechos en la distribución del esfuerzo hacia aspectos específicos de sobrevivencia y reproducción durante toda la vida. Este estudio examina la relación entre los indicadores psicológicos de la estrategia de la historia de vida y las conductas de salud en la muestra demográficamente representativa del Medio Oeste de EE.UU. Historias de vida más lentas predicen niveles más altos de conductas que promueven la salud y niveles más bajos de conductas que perjudican la salud, incluso cuando se controlan los factores sociodemográficos relevantes. El análisis proporciona una prueba fuerte de la relación hipotética entre la historia de vida e indicadores de conducta de salud, según como la variación de la historia de vida covaría con estos factores sociodemográficos. Los esfuerzos de la salud pública tradicional puede que lleguen a sus límites de efectividad en la estimulación de conductas que promueven la salud. Integrar un marco evolutivo podría revitalizar los esfuerzos de promoción de salud conductual.

Life History Theory is a powerful framework that can help promote understanding of variation in health-related behavioral patterns and why they vary consistent with environmental conditions. An organism's life history reflects tradeoffs made in the allocation of effort towards specific aspects of survival and reproduction across the lifespan. This study examines the relationship between psychological indicators of life history strategy and health related behaviors in a demographically representative sample in the Midwestern USA. Slower life histories predicted higher levels of health promoting behaviors and lower levels of health adverse behaviors, even when controlling for relevant socio-demographic factors. The analyses provide a strong test of the hypothesized relationship between life history and health behavior indicators, as life history variation co-varies with these socio-demographic factors. Traditional public health efforts may be reaching their limits of effectiveness in encouraging health-promoting behaviors. Integrating an evolutionary framework may revitalize behavioral health promotion efforts., La teoría de historia de vida es un marco poderoso que puede ayudar en la promoción del entendimiento de la variación en los patrones conductuales de salud y por qué varían según las condiciones ambientales. La historia de vida de un organismo refleja los compromisos hechos en la distribución del esfuerzo hacia aspectos específicos de sobrevivencia y reproducción durante toda la vida. Este estudio examina la relación entre los indicadores psicológicos de la estrategia de la historia de vida y las conductas de salud en la muestra demográficamente representativa del Medio Oeste de EE.UU. Historias de vida más lentas predicen niveles más altos de conductas que promueven la salud y niveles más bajos de conductas que perjudican la salud, incluso cuando se controlan los factores sociodemográficos relevantes. El análisis proporciona una prueba fuerte de la relación hipotética entre la historia de vida e indicadores de conducta de salud, según como la variación de la historia de vida covaría con estos factores sociodemográficos. Los esfuerzos de la salud pública tradicional puede que lleguen a sus límites de efectividad en la estimulación de conductas que promueven la salud. Integrar un marco evolutivo podría revitalizar los esfuerzos de promoción de salud conductual.

Access Living and CURL began a collaborative partnership to document the conditions influencing the placement of disabled people in a nursing home, and to identify the barriers that prevent nursing home residents from living independently.

Access Living and CURL began a collaborative partnership to document the conditions influencing the placement of disabled people in a nursing home, and to identify the barriers that prevent nursing home residents from living independently.

Access Living and CURL began a collaborative partnership to document the conditions influencing the placement of disabled people in a nursing home, and to identify the barriers that prevent nursing home residents from living independently.

Access Living and CURL began a collaborative partnership to document the conditions influencing the placement of disabled people in a nursing home, and to identify the barriers that prevent nursing home residents from living independently.

Access Living and CURL began a collaborative partnership to document the conditions influencing the placement of disabled people in a nursing home, and to identify the barriers that prevent nursing home residents from living independently.

Access Living and CURL began a collaborative partnership to document the conditions influencing the placement of disabled people in a nursing home, and to identify the barriers that prevent nursing home residents from living independently.

There is a growing interest in the unification of health research in a biopsychosocial framework. However, increasing specialization and advancement in instrumentation makes it more difficult to bridge understanding across areas. It would be very useful to ground biopsychosocial research in the most powerful explanatory framework in the life sciences, evolution by natural and sexual selection. This would require and explanation of the functional significance of the phenomena related to the area of study, in addition to descriptions of the mechanism. The application of an integrative evolutionary framework will be illustrated with the example of sex differences in human mortality rates, which are related to endocrine, psychological, and socio-environmental factors. The integrative evolutionary model will be contrasted with a theoretical model that acknowledges physiological and social influences, but artificially separates them.

There is a growing interest in the unification of health research in a biopsychosocial framework. However, increasing specialization and advancement in instrumentation makes it more difficult to bridge understanding across areas. It would be very useful to ground biopsychosocial research in the most powerful explanatory framework in the life sciences, evolution by natural and sexual selection. This would require and explanation of the functional significance of the phenomena related to the area of study, in addition to descriptions of the mechanism. The application of an integrative evolutionary framework will be illustrated with the example of sex differences in human mortality rates, which are related to endocrine, psychological, and socio-environmental factors. The integrative evolutionary model will be contrasted with a theoretical model that acknowledges physiological and social influences, but artificially separates them.

Being male is the strongest demographic predictor of early mortality in Croatia. For every woman who dies between the ages of 15 and 34, three men die. Between the ages of 15 and 54, men are four times as likely as women to die from behavioral causes of death, such as accidents, homicides, and suicides. A causal explanation for sex differences in mortality must be based on an understanding of how sex differences were shaped by natural selection, and how those differences interact with environmental factors to create observed patterns and variations. In brief, males have been selected for riskier behavioral and physiological strategies than women, because of the greater variance and skew in male reproductive success. This paper examines the sex difference in Croatian mortality in three parts. First, we quantify the Croatian Male to Female Mortality Ratio (M:F MR) for 9 major causes of death across age group to provide a richer understanding of the sex difference in mortality from a life history framework. Second, we compare the Croatian M:F MR from behavioral, internal, and all causes with that of the available world population to demonstrate how Croatian mortality can be understood as part of a universal pattern that is influenced by unique environmental context. Third, we investigate how the War of Independence in 1991-1995 affected mortality patterns though its impact on behavioral strategies and the physical embodiment of distress.

Being male is the strongest demographic predictor of early mortality in Croatia. For every woman who dies between the ages of 15 and 34, three men die. Between the ages of 15 and 54, men are four times as likely as women to die from behavioral causes of death, such as accidents, homicides, and suicides. A causal explanation for sex differences in mortality must be based on an understanding of how sex differences were shaped by natural selection, and how those differences interact with environmental factors to create observed patterns and variations. In brief, males have been selected for riskier behavioral and physiological strategies than women, because of the greater variance and skew in male reproductive success. This paper examines the sex difference in Croatian mortality in three parts. First, we quantify the Croatian Male to Female Mortality Ratio (M:F MR) for 9 major causes of death across age group to provide a richer understanding of the sex difference in mortality from a life history framework. Second, we compare the Croatian M:F MR from behavioral, internal, and all causes with that of the available world population to demonstrate how Croatian mortality can be understood as part of a universal pattern that is influenced by unique environmental context. Third, we investigate how the War of Independence in 1991-1995 affected mortality patterns though its impact on behavioral strategies and the physical embodiment of distress.

Being male is the strongest demographic predictor of early mortality in Croatia. For every woman who dies between the ages of 15 and 34, three men die. Between the ages of 15 and 54, men are four times as likely as women to die from behavioral causes of death, such as accidents, homicides, and suicides. A causal explanation for sex differences in mortality must be based on an understanding of how sex differences were shaped by natural selection, and how those differences interact with environmental factors to create observed patterns and variations. In brief, males have been selected for riskier behavioral and physiological strategies than women, because of the greater variance and skew in male reproductive success. This paper examines the sex difference in Croatian mortality in three parts. First, we quantify the Croatian Male to Female Mortality Ratio (M:F MR) for 9 major causes of death across age group to provide a richer understanding of the sex difference in mortality from a life history framework. Second, we compare the Croatian M:F MR from behavioral, internal, and all causes with that of the available world population to demonstrate how Croatian mortality can be understood as part of a universal pattern that is influenced by unique environmental context. Third, we investigate how the War of Independence in 1991-1995 affected mortality patterns though its impact on behavioral strategies and the physical embodiment of distress.