Reproductive inequality in humans and other mammals

To address claims of human exceptionalism, we determine where humans fit within the greater mammalian distribution of reproductive inequality. We show that humans exhibit lower reproductive skew (i.e., inequality in the number of surviving offspring) among males and smaller sex differences in reproductive skew than most other mammals, while nevertheless falling within the mammalian range. Additionally, female reproductive skew is higher in polygynous human populations than in polygynous nonhumans mammals on average. This patterning of skew can be attributed in part to the prevalence of monogamy in humans compared to the predominance of polygyny in nonhuman mammals, to the limited degree of polygyny in the human societies that practice it, and to the importance of unequally held rival resources to women's fitness. The muted reproductive inequality observed in humans appears to be linked to several unusual characteristics of our species-including high levels of cooperation among males, high dependence on unequally held rival resources, complementarities between maternal and paternal investment, as well as social and legal institutions that enforce monogamous norms

Assessing variation in health status in the Andes: a biocultural model

Research on health status in the Andes highlands is synthesized to demonstrate that intracultural diversity in the region is greater than often appreciated. Understanding the range of diversity in health status requires a biocultural model of sickness processes. Ecological, sociocultural, political-economic and historical factors, such as altitude, mode of production, labor relations and land reform, are shown to combine to produce varying levels of health as measured at the community level. The model is illustrated both by comparing communities and by the in-depth examination of a single community in the northern Peruvian highlands. A rapid assessment checklist is provided to aid health agents in better assessing the relative health of communities in a potential intervention area.Andes biocultural health status measurement international health medical anthropology intracultural diversity

Correction: Andrews et al. Age at Arrival and Depression among Mexican Immigrant Women in Alabama: The Moderating Role of Culture. <i>Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health</i> 2022, <i>19</i>, 5342

Several errors were introduced after proofreading, and the authors hence wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...

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

Abstract available at publisher's web site

Intracultural Diversity in Food Knowledge in Southern Brazil

This research explores the social distribution of food knowledge in Ribeirao Preto, a city in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Through an analysis of the distribution of individual expertise in regard to the cultural model of food along the dimensions of healthfulness, practicality, and prestige, this research demonstrates that knowledge of the cultural model of food is most strongly shared in the upper class of the city. Qualitative and quantitative ethnographic research suggests that the social patterning of health-related food knowledge in Ribeirao Preto may serve to maintain class distinction.National Science Foundation (NSF)[BCS-0090193]The University of Alabam

Cultural consonance and adult body composition in urban Brazil

In previous research in Brazil, we found socioeconomic and gender differences in body mass and percent body fat, consistent with a model in which individuals in higher socioeconomic strata, especially women, could achieve a cultural ideal of body size and shape. In this article, using new data, we examine these processes more precisely using measures of cultural consonance. Cultural consonance refers to the degree to which individuals approximate, in their own beliefs and behaviors, the shared prototypes for belief and behavior encoded in cultural models. We have found higher cultural consonance in several domains to be associated with health outcomes. Furthermore, there tends to be a general consistency in cultural consonance across domains. Here we suggest that measures of body composition can be considered indicators of individuals` success in achieving cultural ideals of the body, and that cultural consonance in several domains will be associated with body composition. Using waist circumference as an outcome, smaller waist size was associated with higher cultural consonance in lifestyle (beta = -0.311, P < 0.01) and higher cultural consonance in the consumption of high prestige foods (beta = -0.260, P < 0.01) for women (n = 161), but not for men (n = 106), controlling for age, family income, tobacco use, and dietary intake of protein and carbohydrates. Similar results were obtained using the body mass index and weight as outcomes, while there were no associations with height. These results help to illuminate the cultural mediation of body composition

Eating, drinking and being depressed: the social, cultural and psychological context of alcohol consumption and nutrition in a Brazilian community

Much has been written about the socioeconomic distribution of nutritional status, both in more economically developed, and in developing nations. In general, persons of lower socioeconomic status suffer adverse consequences of poor nutritional status, although these consequences can vary depending on the level of development, i.e. in more developed countries the problem tends to be one of over-nutrition and obesity, while in developing countries the problem tends to be one of under-nutrition and nutritional deficiencies. In this paper, we explore the socioeconomic distribution of dietary intake in a Brazilian city, in an area that in some ways is neither prototypically developed or underdeveloped. The analysis presented here was stimulated by the surprising observation of no socioeconomic differences in total caloric intake in the context of extreme differences in income distribution. Further examination showed that socioeconomic differences in total caloric intake appeared after controlling for alcohol intake. A complete analysis of the data suggests that lower income leads to lower cultural consonance, which in turn leads to higher depression, higher alcohol intake, and higher total caloric intake. In this model, alcohol ingestion can be seen as both a psychological and nutritional adaptive strategy to economic, social and cultural marginality in a highly stratified society.Alcohol use Cultural consonance Diet Mental health Brazil

Smiling behaviors and credibility in actual trials: a naturalistic observation of witnesses

Nonverbal behaviors, like smiling, occur during witness testimony in trials. Although it has been acknowledged that witnesses exhibit smiling behaviors, there has been no research examining the subsequent effect of smiling on witness credibility. This study used naturalistic observation to examine smiling behaviors and credibility in actual witnesses testifying in court. Results are examined through quantitative analyses and qualitative descriptions. Raters assessed the smiling behaviors and credibility of 32 male and female witnesses testifying in trials of the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse. "Credibility raters" rated the perceived likeability, trustworthiness, confidence, knowledge, and overall credibility of the witnesses using the Witness Credibility Scale (WCS; Brodsky et al., 2010). "Smile raters" noted smiling frequency and types, including Duchenne (genuine smiles), non-Duchenne (false smiles), speaking/expressive, and listening/receptive smiles. No significant differences were found in the smiling frequency or types for male and female witnesses. All types of smiles besides non-Duchenne were found to contribute to perceived likeability of a witness. Gender was found to affect perceived trustworthiness ratings, in which male witnesses were seen as more trustworthy than female witnesses. Exploratory analyses found significant differences for race, in that African-American witnesses were perceived as less trustworthy, less knowledgeable, and less credible overall than Caucasian witnesses. Other exploratory analyses found that law enforcement witnesses were perceived as more trustworthy, more confidence, more knowledgeable, and more credible overall than other witnesses. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Good ol' boys: masculinity and stress in southern males

Culture is not a haze that hangs about people as they go about their lives, nor is it a biological imperative that drives a person's thoughts and behaviors. The shared knowledge of a group forms schematic outlines or cultural models of how life should be lived and these models, if not followed or lived out, have been found to be associated with symptoms of psychosocial stress such as depression and high blood pressure. The hypothesis in this research was that there are shared models of masculinity in the southern region of the United States and that men who live out these models will have fewer symptoms of stress than men who do not live out these models in their daily lives. In-depth interviews were conducted in order to identify and outline important elements of models of Southern masculinity. Methods from cognitive anthropology including freelisting, pile sorting, and ranking activities were utilized to enumerate and define important domains of life for men. Cultural consensus and cultural consonance analyses were used to determine if participants shared a model of masculinity and the degree to which each man was living out this shared model. Statistical analyses were used in conjunction with cultural consensus and cultural consonance analyses to determine if there was a relationship between cultural consensus and/or cultural consonance and symptoms of stress (depressive symptoms and high blood pressure levels). While no significant relationships were found between cultural consensus or cultural consonance and blood pressure levels, findings indicate that there is a significant inverse relationship between both consensus and consonance scores and the presence of depressive symptoms. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Examining rural and urban cultural models of nervios in Honduras through a biocultural lens

Biocultural medical anthropology connects health outcomes to the local ecology. Much research has examined how culture influences illness beliefs, cognitively held in cultural models which are schematic representations that are widely shared and employed in social life. Consequently, rural/urban differences in the Honduran population may produce distinct cultural models of the illness nervios, a syndrome which shares several similarities with generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder but is not formally recognized in biomedicine. Cultural domain analysis was carried out on a total of n=50 participants in San Pedro Sula and Copán Ruinas to test the hypothesis that Honduran urban participants' cultural model of nervios corresponds more closely to biomedical diagnostic criteria for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder than that of rural ones. Urban participants were found to name fewer symptoms of nervios overall, but those they did name were more likely to match DSM-IV criteria. Conclusions extend the investigation of cultural syndromes to a previously unstudied region, contribute relevant scholarship regarding the cultural syndrome nervios, expand the investigation of the relationship between illness and culture, and add to relevant discussion in cognitive anthropology concerning how cultural models emerge. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries