Physical growth and nutritional status of Tsimane's Amerindian children of lowland Bolivia

This study examines patterns of growth and nutritional status of indigenous Tsimane' children under 9 years of age (n = 199 boys and 210 girls), based on a cross‐sectional sample from 58 villages from the Beni Deparment of lowland Bolivia. Compared with US children, Tsimane' children are quite short...

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Autores principales: Foster, Z., Byron, Elizabeth, Reyes-Garcia, Victoria, Huanca, Thomas, Vadez, Vincent, Apaza, Lilian, Perez Eddy, Tanner, S., Gutierrez, Y., Sandstrom, B., Yakhedts, A., Osborn, C., Godoy, Ricardo, Leonard, William. R.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Wiley 2005
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/172306
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author Foster, Z.
Byron, Elizabeth
Reyes-Garcia, Victoria
Huanca, Thomas
Vadez, Vincent
Apaza, Lilian
Perez Eddy
Tanner, S.
Gutierrez, Y.
Sandstrom, B.
Yakhedts, A.
Osborn, C.
Godoy, Ricardo
Leonard, William. R.
author_browse Apaza, Lilian
Byron, Elizabeth
Foster, Z.
Godoy, Ricardo
Gutierrez, Y.
Huanca, Thomas
Leonard, William. R.
Osborn, C.
Perez Eddy
Reyes-Garcia, Victoria
Sandstrom, B.
Tanner, S.
Vadez, Vincent
Yakhedts, A.
author_facet Foster, Z.
Byron, Elizabeth
Reyes-Garcia, Victoria
Huanca, Thomas
Vadez, Vincent
Apaza, Lilian
Perez Eddy
Tanner, S.
Gutierrez, Y.
Sandstrom, B.
Yakhedts, A.
Osborn, C.
Godoy, Ricardo
Leonard, William. R.
author_sort Foster, Z.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This study examines patterns of growth and nutritional status of indigenous Tsimane' children under 9 years of age (n = 199 boys and 210 girls), based on a cross‐sectional sample from 58 villages from the Beni Deparment of lowland Bolivia. Compared with US children, Tsimane' children are quite short, with linear growth tracking at or below the US 5th centile in both sexes. The prevalence of low height‐for‐age (“stunting;” HA Z‐scores ≤−2) is 52% in boys and 43% in girls. In contrast, weight‐for‐height in Tsimane' children approximates the US median, with the prevalence of low weight‐for‐height (“wasting”; WH Z‐scores ≤−2) being only 4% and 6% in boys and girls, respectively. Tsimane' boys and girls are leaner than their US peers, but their levels of body fatness are not so low as to indicate severe energy stress. Arm muscularity of Tsimane' children is similar to that of their US age peers, and this suggests that they are not experiencing acute protein malnutrition. Variation in measures of nutritional status of Tsimane' children is modestly correlated with village‐level differences. Degree of isolation, as measured by distance to urban centers or to primary forest, was not a strong predictor of children's anthropometric status. Rather, in both boys and girls, nutritional status was most strongly associated with number of teachers in the village, a measure of access to education. Comparative analyses indicate that high levels of statural growth stunting are common among indigenous populations throughout lowland South America. This problem appears to be largely attributable to poor dietary quality (diets low in key micronutrients) and high disease loads. Further research is needed to identify the specific causes and potential interventions for the high rates of childhood growth stunting in this region. Am J Phys Anthropol 126:343–351, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
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spelling CGSpace1723062025-02-19T14:08:11Z Physical growth and nutritional status of Tsimane's Amerindian children of lowland Bolivia Foster, Z. Byron, Elizabeth Reyes-Garcia, Victoria Huanca, Thomas Vadez, Vincent Apaza, Lilian Perez Eddy Tanner, S. Gutierrez, Y. Sandstrom, B. Yakhedts, A. Osborn, C. Godoy, Ricardo Leonard, William. R. nutrition growth children This study examines patterns of growth and nutritional status of indigenous Tsimane' children under 9 years of age (n = 199 boys and 210 girls), based on a cross‐sectional sample from 58 villages from the Beni Deparment of lowland Bolivia. Compared with US children, Tsimane' children are quite short, with linear growth tracking at or below the US 5th centile in both sexes. The prevalence of low height‐for‐age (“stunting;” HA Z‐scores ≤−2) is 52% in boys and 43% in girls. In contrast, weight‐for‐height in Tsimane' children approximates the US median, with the prevalence of low weight‐for‐height (“wasting”; WH Z‐scores ≤−2) being only 4% and 6% in boys and girls, respectively. Tsimane' boys and girls are leaner than their US peers, but their levels of body fatness are not so low as to indicate severe energy stress. Arm muscularity of Tsimane' children is similar to that of their US age peers, and this suggests that they are not experiencing acute protein malnutrition. Variation in measures of nutritional status of Tsimane' children is modestly correlated with village‐level differences. Degree of isolation, as measured by distance to urban centers or to primary forest, was not a strong predictor of children's anthropometric status. Rather, in both boys and girls, nutritional status was most strongly associated with number of teachers in the village, a measure of access to education. Comparative analyses indicate that high levels of statural growth stunting are common among indigenous populations throughout lowland South America. This problem appears to be largely attributable to poor dietary quality (diets low in key micronutrients) and high disease loads. Further research is needed to identify the specific causes and potential interventions for the high rates of childhood growth stunting in this region. Am J Phys Anthropol 126:343–351, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. 2005-03 2025-01-29T12:59:45Z 2025-01-29T12:59:45Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/172306 en Limited Access Wiley Foster, Z.; Byron, Elizabeth; Reyes-Garcia, Victoria; Huanca, Thomas; Vadez, Vincent; Apaza, Lilian; Perez Eddy; Tanner, S.; Gutierrez, Y.; Sandstrom, B.; Yakhedts, A.; Osborn, C.; Godoy, Ricardo; Leonard, William. R. 2005. Physical growth and nutritional status of Tsimane's Amerindian children of lowland Bolivia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 126(3): 343-351. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.20098
spellingShingle nutrition
growth
children
Foster, Z.
Byron, Elizabeth
Reyes-Garcia, Victoria
Huanca, Thomas
Vadez, Vincent
Apaza, Lilian
Perez Eddy
Tanner, S.
Gutierrez, Y.
Sandstrom, B.
Yakhedts, A.
Osborn, C.
Godoy, Ricardo
Leonard, William. R.
Physical growth and nutritional status of Tsimane's Amerindian children of lowland Bolivia
title Physical growth and nutritional status of Tsimane's Amerindian children of lowland Bolivia
title_full Physical growth and nutritional status of Tsimane's Amerindian children of lowland Bolivia
title_fullStr Physical growth and nutritional status of Tsimane's Amerindian children of lowland Bolivia
title_full_unstemmed Physical growth and nutritional status of Tsimane's Amerindian children of lowland Bolivia
title_short Physical growth and nutritional status of Tsimane's Amerindian children of lowland Bolivia
title_sort physical growth and nutritional status of tsimane s amerindian children of lowland bolivia
topic nutrition
growth
children
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/172306
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