Intercultural interpretations about concepts of nutrition: body formation among the tikuna indians of the colombian amazon trapeze

This paper approaches the indigenous perceptions about the formation of an infant body by the Tikuna Indians of San Martin de Amacayacu, who live in the south of the Colombian Amazon Trapeze. Indigenous concepts about nutrition are not comparable with the concepts of nutrition and malnutrition from the perspective of biological quantification. For the natives, body formation initiates with their myths of origin, everyday subsistence activities, relationships with natural beings and the bestowal of care of infant babies and small children. For health professionals, in contrast, the conception of the human body is based upon a biological, nutritional and anthropometric logic. The article shows the differences between these two visions, calling for an intercultural rethinking to make them compatible in order to avoid infant deaths associated with nutritional deficiencies.Este artículo es una aproximación a las percepciones que los indígenas tikuna de San Martín de Amacayacu, en el sur del Trapecio amazónico colombiano, tienen sobre la formación del cuerpo infantil. Los conceptos indígenas sobre la nutrición no son equiparables a los conceptos sobre nutrición y desnutrición desde cuantificaciones biológicas. Para los nativos la formación del cuerpo se inicia desde los mitos de origen, el trabajo cotidiano, la relación con los seres de la naturaleza y los cuidados necesarios para los niños. Para los profesionales de la salud, en contraste, la concepción del cuerpo humano se fundamenta en una lógica biológica, nutricional y antropométrica. Este artículo muestra las diferencias entre estas dos visiones, por lo que es necesaria una reflexión intercultural para que puedan ser complementarias, ayudando a evitar muertes infantiles asociadas a deficiencias nutricionales

Intercultural Interpretations about Concepts of Nutrition: Body Formation among the Tikuna Indians of the Colombian Amazon Trapeze

Este artículo es una aproximación a las percepciones que los indígenas tikuna de San Martín de Amacayacu, en el sur del Trapecio amazónico colombiano, tienen sobre la formación del cuerpo infantil. Los conceptos indígenas sobre la nutrición no son equiparables a los conceptos sobre nutrición y desnutrición desde cuantificaciones biológicas. Para los nativos la formación del cuerpo se inicia desde los mitos de origen, el trabajo cotidiano, la relación con los seres de la naturaleza y los cuidados necesarios para los niños. Para los profesionales de la salud, en contraste, la concepción del cuerpo humano se fundamenta en una lógica biológica, nutricional y antropométrica. Este artículo muestra las diferencias entre estas dos visiones, por lo que es necesaria una reflexión intercultural para que puedan ser complementarias, ayudando a evitar muertes infantiles asociadas a deficiencias nutricionales.This paper approaches the indigenous perceptions about the formation of an infant body by the Tikuna Indians of San Martin de Amacayacu, who live in the south of the Colombian Amazon Trapeze. Indigenous concepts about nutrition are not comparable with the concepts of nutrition and malnutrition from the perspective of biological quantification. For the natives, body formation initiates with their myths of origin, everyday subsistence activities, relationships with natural beings and the bestowal of care of infant babies and small children. For health professionals, in contrast, the conception of the human body is based upon a biological, nutritional and anthropometric logic. The article shows the differences between these two visions, calling for an intercultural rethinking to make them compatible in order to avoid infant deaths associated with nutritional deficiencies.

Indigenous and tribal peoples' health (The Lancet-Lowitja Institute Global Collaboration):a population study

Background International studies of the health of Indigenous and tribal peoples provide important public health insights. Reliable data are required for the development of policy and health services. Previous studies document poorer outcomes for Indigenous peoples compared with benchmark populations, but have been restricted in their coverage of countries or the range of health indicators. Our objective is to describe the health and social status of Indigenous and tribal peoples relative to benchmark populations from a sample of countries. Methods Collaborators with expertise in Indigenous health data systems were identified for each country. Data were obtained for population, life expectancy at birth, infant mortality, low and high birthweight, maternal mortality, nutritional status, educational attainment, and economic status. Data sources consisted of governmental data, data from non-governmental organisations such as UNICEF, and other research. Absolute and relative differences were calculated. Findings Our data (23 countries, 28 populations) provide evidence of poorer health and social outcomes for Indigenous peoples than for non-Indigenous populations. However, this is not uniformly the case, and the size of the rate difference varies. We document poorer outcomes for Indigenous populations for: life expectancy at birth for 16 of 18 populations with a difference greater than 1 year in 15 populations; infant mortality rate for 18 of 19 populations with a rate difference greater than one per 1000 livebirths in 16 populations; maternal mortality in ten populations; low birthweight with the rate difference greater than 2% in three populations; high birthweight with the rate difference greater than 2% in one population; child malnutrition for ten of 16 populations with a difference greater than 10% in five populations; child obesity for eight of 12 populations with a difference greater than 5% in four populations; adult obesity for seven of 13 populations with a difference greater than 10% in four populations; educational attainment for 26 of 27 populations with a difference greater than 1% in 24 populations; and economic status for 15 of 18 populations with a difference greater than 1% in 14 populations. Interpretation We systematically collated data across a broader sample of countries and indicators than done in previous studies. Taking into account the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we recommend that national governments develop targeted policy responses to Indigenous health, improving access to health services, and Indigenous data within national surveillance systems