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Objectives: Cortisol is an important metabolic hormone that regulates multiple physiologic systems. Cortisol metabolism is sensitive to early life environments, including that experienced prenatally. Limited research has evaluated factors that predict variation in maternal and offspring toddler hair cortisol, which is important since hair cortisol represents different dynamics of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA)‐axis function than more common salivary or serum measures. Methods: To address this gap, we longitudinally evaluated whether maternal depression measured in pregnancy and 1 month postnatal was associated with maternal and offspring hair cortisol levels approximately 15 months after birth (n = 46 mothers, 40 toddlers; mean 15.6 months postnatal, SD = 2.9 months). Results: Mean depression symptoms were highest during the prenatal period. Prenatal, but not postnatal, maternal depression was associated with offspring hair cortisol levels (B = 0.095, p =.01). Maternal hair cortisol was not associated with depression measured at either time point. Conclusions: These findings indicate that offspring hair cortisol more than a year after birth is associated with maternal prenatal depression, consistent with previous research in salivary cortisol, suggesting that long‐term offspring stress physiology may be influenced by conditions experienced in utero. These findings highlight the potential for hair cortisol—a minimally invasive and easy‐to‐collect measure— to index toddler HPA‐axis dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundMarket integration (MI)-increasing production for and consumption from a market-based economy-is drastically altering traditional ways of life and environmental conditions among indigenous Amazonian peoples. The effects of MI on the biology and health of Amazonian children and adolescents, however, remain unclear.AimThis study examines the impact of MI on sub-adult body size and nutritional status at the population, regional and household levels among the Shuar of Amazonian Ecuador.Subjects and methodsAnthropometric data were collected between 2005-2014 from 2164 Shuar (aged 2-19 years) living in two geographic regions differing in general degree of MI. High-resolution household economic, lifestyle and dietary data were collected from a sub-sample of 631 participants. Analyses were performed to investigate relationships between body size and year of data collection, region and specific aspects of household MI.ResultsResults from temporal and regional analyses suggest that MI has a significant and overall positive impact on Shuar body size and nutritional status. However, household-level results exhibit nuanced and heterogeneous specific effects of MI underlying these overarching relationships.ConclusionThis study provides novel insight into the complex socio-ecological pathways linking MI, physical growth and health among the Shuar and other indigenous Amazonian populations.

ObjectivesInformation concerning physical growth among small-scale populations remains limited, yet such data are critical to local health efforts and to foster basic understandings of human life history and variation in childhood development. Using a large dataset and robust modeling methods, this study aims to describe growth from birth to adulthood among the indigenous Shuar of Amazonian Ecuador.MethodsMixed-longitudinal measures of height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were collected from Shuar participants (n = 2,463; age: 0-29 years). Centile growth curves and tables were created for each anthropometric variable of interest using Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS). Pseudo-velocity and Lambda-Mu-Sigma curves were generated to further investigate Shuar patterns of growth and to facilitate comparison with United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention and multinational World Health Organization growth references.ResultsThe Shuar are small throughout life and exhibit complex patterns of growth that differ substantially from those of international references. Similar to other Amazonians, Shuar growth in weight compares more favorably to references than growth in height, resulting in BMI curves that approximate international medians. Several additional characteristics of Shuar development are noteworthy, including large observed variation in body size early in life, significant infant growth faltering, extended male growth into adulthood, and a markedly early female pubertal growth spurt in height. Phenotypic plasticity and genetic selection in response to local environmental factors may explain many of these patterns.ConclusionsProviding a detailed reference of growth for the Shuar and other Amazonian populations, this study possesses direct clinical application and affords valuable insight into childhood health and the ecology of human growth.

Objectives: Biocultural perspectives combining methods and theories from biological and cultural anthropology are needed to better understand socioeconomic and race‐based health inequities in the United States. For example, the developmental trajectories of gastrointestinal health disparities based on embodied (i.e., internalized) inequities in resource access and environmental pathogen exposure are poorly understood. Here, we present a preliminary exploration of these relationships among 20 children (aged 3–14 years) from 12 families living in a low‐resource, predominantly Black, rural Mississippi community. Methods: Relationships between fecal calprotectin levels (FC; biomarker of intestinal inflammation measured from stool samples), BMI‐for‐age/Height‐for‐age z‐scores (calculated from standard anthropometric measures), household income/size (from parent interviews), and parasitic worm (helminth) infection status (detected in stool samples by 18 s rRNA gene amplification/sequencing) were tested using bootstrap linear regression and ANOVA/ANCOVA tests. Results: About 80% of sampled children had clinically elevated FC (> 50 μg/g). BMI z‐scores (95%CI = −154.63; −7.34) and household income (95%CI = −135.90; −16.44) were negatively associated with FC levels. Household size was positively associated with FC levels (95%CI = 4.65, 101.61). Helminth infections were detected (n = 6), with positive associations between infection and the FC level (p < 0.05) that were likely driven by two infected children with very high FC levels. Conclusion: The high levels of intestinal inflammation in this small sample of children suggest that gastrointestinal health disparities may appear in childhood. We explore how these disparities may be related to inequities in environmental exposures, nutritional and socioeconomic status, and barriers to medical care and resource access. Intestinal inflammation levels (mean fecal calprotectin) were significantly higher in children infected with platyhelmints (flatworms; Figure 2A), but this relationship appears to be driven by two infected children with very high levels of inflammation (Figure 2b) and more complex, interconnected factors are likely at play. Figure captions refer in meta xml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical function is positively associated with subjective well-being in older adults from high-income nations. This study tests whether this association is evident in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: Data were drawn from the study on global AGEing and adult health, using nationally representative samples of individuals over 50 years old from China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa. Participant interviews measured well-being (quality of life, mood, and happiness) and physical function (grip strength, usual and rapid gait speed). Logistic regressions tested relations between physical function and well-being variables within each country. Results: Higher physical function measures exhibited moderate, yet significant, associations with increased odds of highly rated well-being (p <.05). However, higher gait speeds were unexpectedly associated with decreased odds of highly rated well-being (p <.05) in South Africa and Russia. Conclusion: These results suggest that physical function is generally positively associated with perceived well-being in older individuals from lower income nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The rise and fall of the health technology startup Theranos is emblematic of the promise and peril of point‐of‐care testing (POCT). Instruments that deliver immediate results from minimally invasive samples at the location of collection can provide powerful tools to deliver health data in clinical and public health contexts. Yet, POCT availability is driven largely by market interests, which limits the development of inexpensive tests for diverse health conditions that can be used in resource‐limited settings. These constraints, combined with complex regulatory hurdles and substantial ethical challenges, have contributed to the underutilization of POCT in human biology research. Methods: We evaluate current POCT capabilities and limitations, discuss promising applications for POCT devices in resource‐limited settings, and discuss the future of POCT. Results: As evidenced by publication trends, POCT platforms have rapidly advanced in recent years, gaining traction among clinicians and health researchers. We highlight POCT devices of potential interest to population‐based researchers and present specific examples of POCT applications in human biology research. Conclusions: Several barriers can limit POCT applications, including cost, lack of regulatory approval for non‐clinical use, requirements for expensive equipment, and the dearth of validation in remote field conditions. Despite these issues, we see immense potential for emerging POCT technology capable of analyzing new sample types and used in conjunction with increasingly common technology (e.g., smart phones). We argue that the fallout from Theranos may ultimately provide an opportunity to advance POCT, leading to more ethical data collection and novel opportunities in human biology research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Leaving "home" to pursue fieldwork is a necessity but also a rite of passage for many biological anthropology/human biology scholars. Field‐based scientists prepare for the potential changes to activity patterns, sleep schedules, social interactions, and more that come with going to the field. However, returning from extended fieldwork and the reverse‐culture shock, discomforts, and mental shifts that are part of the return process can be jarring, sometimes traumatic experiences. A failure to acknowledge and address such experiences can compromise the health and wellbeing of those returning. Aims: We argue for an engaged awareness of the difficult nature of returning from the field and offer suggestions for individuals and programs to better train and prepare PhD students pursuing fieldwork. Materials & Methods: Here, we offer personal stories of "coming back" and give professional insights on how to best ready students and scholars for returning from fieldwork. Discussion/Conclusion: By bringing forward and normalizing the difficulty of the fieldwork‐return process, we hope that this reflection acts as a tool for future scholars to prepare to come home as successfully and consciously as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Anemia is an important global health challenge. We investigate anemia prevalence among Indigenous Shuar of Ecuador to expand our understanding of population‐level variation, and to test hypotheses about how anemia variation is related to age, sex, and market integration. Methods: Hemoglobin levels were measured in a total sample of 1650 Shuar participants (ages 6 months to 86 years) from 46 communities between 2008 and 2017 to compare anemia prevalence across regions characterized by different levels of market integration. Results: Shuar anemia rates among children under 15 years (12.2%), adult women (10.5%), and adult men (5.3%) were less than half of those previously documented in other neo‐tropical Indigenous populations. Anemia prevalence did not vary between more traditional and market integrated communities (OR = 0.47, p =.52). However, anemia was negatively associated with body mass index (OR = 0.47, p =.002). Conclusions: Compared to other South American Indigenous populations, anemia prevalence is relatively low among Shuar of Ecuador and invariant with market integration. Understanding this pattern can provide valuable insights into anemia prevention among at‐risk populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The COVID‐19 pandemic has led to unprecedented levels of unemployment and financial strain for many Americans. Among the individuals impacted by financial strain are pregnant women, for whom added financial stress may be particularly impactful due to the costs associated with prenatal care and providing for a newborn. Financial stress has been previously associated with elevated depression symptoms among pregnant women, which could have significant impacts on birth outcomes and long‐term offspring health. However, the impacts of COVID‐19‐associated financial stress on maternal depression in pregnancy has not been investigated. Methods: Here, we evaluated whether COVID‐19‐associated financial stress was associated with increased likelihood of a clinically significant depression score (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Score ≥ 15) among pregnant women living in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Data come from an online survey administered to a convenience sample in April 2020 (N = 2099). Results: Forty‐three percent of participants reported experiencing financial stress as a result of the pandemic, while 24% of participants had a clinically significant depression score. COVID‐19‐related financial stress was significantly associated with increased likelihood of a clinically significant depression score, even after adjustment for covariates including participant education and income (adjusted Odds Ratio: 2.23, 95% CI = 1.80, 2.77, P <.001). Conclusions: Financial stress caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic is associated with more than two times the likelihood of depression during pregnancy, which could impact birth outcomes and long‐term offspring health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Increasing obesity rates and accelerating climate change represent two global health challenges shaped by lifestyle change and human environmental modifications. Yet, few studies have considered how these issues may interact to exacerbate disease risk. Methods: In this theory article, we explore evidence that obesity‐related disease and climatic changes share socio‐ecological drivers and may interact to increase human morbidity and mortality risks. Additionally, we consider how obesity‐climate change interactions may disproportionately affect vulnerable populations and how anthropological research can be applied to address this concern. Results: Interactions between heat stress and cardiometabolic disease represent an important pathway through which climate change and obesity‐related morbidities may jointly impair health. For example, individuals with higher body fatness and obesity‐related metabolic conditions (eg, type 2 diabetes) exhibit a reduced ability to dissipate heat. The risk of poor health resulting from these interactions is expected to be heterogeneous, with low‐ and middle‐income countries, individuals of lower socioeconomic status, and minority populations facing a greater disease burden due to relative lack of resource access (eg, air conditioning). Moreover, older adults are at higher risk due to aging‐associated changes in body composition and loss of thermoregulation capabilities. Conclusions: Few policy makers appear to be considering how interventions can be designed to simultaneously address the medical burden posed by increasing obesity rates and climate change. Anthropological research is well situated to address this need in a nuanced and culturally‐sensitive way; producing research that can be used to support community resilience, promote holistic well‐being, and improve health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energetic investment in human reproduction has long been recognized as costly, influencing developmental, physiological, and behavioral patterns in males and females. These effects are largely coordinated through the actions of reproductive hormones (eg, testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone). Here, the utility and limitations of minimally invasive sampling techniques are explored, providing a novel perspective on how reproductive hormone measurements can enhance reproductive endocrinology research. Salivary steroid measures are most commonly used, although several dried blood spot and urine assays are also available, and researchers continue to explore the efficacy of other sample types. These relatively simple measures have facilitated the collection of multiple samples from a single participant, allowing researchers to more accurately track the diurnal and cyclical variation exhibited by many reproductive hormones. Ultimately, the ability to collect fine‐grained participant data allows biological anthropologists to better test questions central to human reproductive ecology, life history theory, and public health. For example, fieldwork using these techniques suggests that testosterone profile variation across populations is influenced by energetic constraints and reproductive status. Moreover, hormone concentrations shape the development of sex characteristics, with implications for evolutionary questions related to sexual selection. Hormone levels also can be used to identify a range of medical concerns (eg, suppressed hormone production levels linked with psychosocial stress). These findings highlight how minimally invasive collection techniques can be applied to test diverse evolutionary hypotheses and identify important health concerns. Still, more work is needed to standardize collection and laboratory analysis procedures, thereby enabling more direct data comparisons between researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]