Boas's Changes in Bodily Form: The Immigrant Study, Cranial Plasticity, and Boas's Physical Anthropology

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65980/1/aa.2003.105.2.326.pd

Interaction of Alu Polymorphisms and Novel Measures of Discrimination in Association with Blood Pressure in African Americans Living in Tallahassee

African Americans are 40% more likely to be afflicted with hypertension in comparison to non-Hispanic, white Americans, resulting in a 30% higher instance of mortality due to cardiovascular disease. There is debate about the relative contributions of genetic and sociocultural risk factors to the racial disparity in hypertension. We assayed three Alu insertion polymorphisms located in the angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE), tissue plasminogen activator (PLAT), and with no-lysine kinase 1 (WNK1) genes. We also estimated West African genetic ancestry and developed novel measures of perceived discrimination to create a biocultural model of blood pressure among African- American adults in Tallahassee, FL (n=158). When tested separately, the ACE Alu non-insertion allele was significantly associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In multiple regression analyses, West African genetic ancestry was not associated with blood pressure and reduced the strength of all blood pressure models tested. A gene x environment interaction was identified between the ACE Alu genotype and a new measure of unfair treatment that includes experiences by individuals close to the study participant. Inclusion of the WNK1 Alu genotype further improved this model of blood pressure variation. Our results suggest an association of the ACE and WNK1 genotypes with blood pressure that is consistent with their proposed gene functions. Perceived unfair treatment (to others) shows a threshold effect where an increase in blood pressure is demonstrated at higher values. The interaction between the ACE genotype and unfair treatment highlights the benefits of including both genetic and cultural data to investigate complex disease

Heredity, Environment, and Cranial Form: A Reanalysis of Boas's Immigrant Data

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65137/1/aa.2003.105.1.125.pd

Moving beyond a snapshot to understand changes in the well-being of native Amazonians : panel evidence (2002-2006) from Bolivia

Forces such as the opening of trade, globalization, multinational corporate resource extraction, urbanization, acculturation, and colonization catalyze economic, ecological, and sociocultural change, which can threaten the well-being and habitat of native Amazonians. Understanding these forces is of paramount importance to improve the well-being of native Amazonians and to foster the conservation of biological diversity, yet most analyses of these forces rely on cross-sectional data. Though adequate to describe the association between variables at one point in time, cross-sectional data do not allow one to estimate changes in well-being over time. We collected data annually during five consecutive years (2002-2006, inclusive) from a foraging and farming society of native Amazonians in Bolivia (Tsimane') to estimate annual rates of change for seven indicators of adult well-being. Indicators encompassed both objective and subjective measures of well-being that included economic, health, psychological, and social dimensions that overlap well with Tsimane' notions of well-being. The annual rate of change in the inflation-adjusted (hereafter real) value of food consumption (+6.35%), body mass index (+0.71%), and incidence of anger (−10.40%) show significant improvements over time, but the annual rate of change in the self-reported number of recent ailments (+7.35%) shows a significant deterioration. Trends in other indicators of well-being (smiles, real wealth, social relations) show positive but insignificant rates of change. Results did not vary by sex and were consistent when using other indicators of well-bein

Genetic Ancestry, Social Classification, and Racial Inequalities in Blood Pressure in Southeastern Puerto Rico

The role of race in human genetics and biomedical research is among the most contested issues in science. Much debate centers on the relative importance of genetic versus sociocultural factors in explaining racial inequalities in health. However, few studies integrate genetic and sociocultural data to test competing explanations directly.We draw on ethnographic, epidemiologic, and genetic data collected in Southeastern Puerto Rico to isolate two distinct variables for which race is often used as a proxy: genetic ancestry versus social classification. We show that color, an aspect of social classification based on the culturally defined meaning of race in Puerto Rico, better predicts blood pressure than does a genetic-based estimate of continental ancestry. We also find that incorporating sociocultural variables reveals a new and significant association between a candidate gene polymorphism for hypertension (alpha(2C) adrenergic receptor deletion) and blood pressure.This study addresses the recognized need to measure both genetic and sociocultural factors in research on racial inequalities in health. Our preliminary results provide the most direct evidence to date that previously reported associations between genetic ancestry and health may be attributable to sociocultural factors related to race and racism, rather than to functional genetic differences between racially defined groups. Our results also imply that including sociocultural variables in future research may improve our ability to detect significant allele-phenotype associations. Thus, measuring sociocultural factors related to race may both empower future genetic association studies and help to clarify the biological consequences of social inequalities

Skin Color, Social Classification, and Blood Pressure in Southeastern Puerto Rico

Objectives. We tested competing hypotheses for the skin color–blood pressure relationship by analyzing the association between blood pressure and 2 skin color variables: skin pigmentation and social classification. Methods. We measured skin pigmentation by reflectance spectrophotometry and social classification by linking respondents to ethnographic data on the cultural model of “color” in southeastern Puerto Rico. We used multiple regression analysis to test the associations between these variables and blood pressure in a community-based sample of Puerto Rican adults aged 25–55 years (n=100). Regression models included age, gender, body mass index (BMI), self-reported use of antihypertensive medication, and socioeconomic status (SES). Results. Social classification, but not skin pigmentation, is associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure through a statistical interaction with SES, independent of age, gender, BMI, self-reported use of antihypertensive medication, and skin reflectance. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that sociocultural processes mediate the relationship between skin color and blood pressure. They also help to clarify the meaning and measurement of skin color and “race” as social variables in health research

RACE AND ETHNICITY IN PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH: Models to Explain Health Disparities

Abstract available at publisher's web site

ACE gene haplotypes and social networks: Using a biocultural framework to investigate blood pressure variation in African Americans.

Deaths due to hypertension in the US are highest among African Americans, who have a higher prevalence of hypertension and more severe hypertensive symptoms. Research indicates that there are both genetic and sociocultural risk factors for hypertension. Racial disparities in hypertension also likely involve genetic and sociocultural factors, but the factors may interact and manifest differently across racial groups. Here we use a biocultural approach to integrate genetic and social network data to better understand variation in blood pressure. We assay genetic variation at the angiotensin I converting enzyme gene (ACE) and analyze social network composition and structure in African Americans living in Tallahassee, FL (n = 138). We demonstrate that models including both genetic and social network data explain significantly more variation in blood pressure and have better model diagnostics than do models including only one datatype. Specifically, optimal models for systolic and diastolic blood pressure explain a notable 35% and 21%, respectively, of blood pressure variation. Analysis of the social networks reveals that individuals whose networks are dominated by family connections and are more fragmented have higher blood pressure. Historically, family support has been associated with better mental and physical health, but our results suggest that those family connections can also take a toll on health. These findings raise compelling questions regarding the roles of genetics, family, and social environment in hypertension in the African American community and suggest that interactions among these factors may help explain racial disparities in hypertension more accurately than any of the factors alone