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Pregnancy outcome for nomadic Turkana pastoralists of Kenya
Author(s) -
Pike I.L.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/1096-8644(200009)113:1<31::aid-ajpa4>3.0.co;2-w
Subject(s) - pregnancy , pastoralism , gestation , medicine , birth weight , subsistence agriculture , demography , obstetrics , low birth weight , season of birth , prospective cohort study , livestock , biology , ecology , genetics , psychiatry , sociology , agriculture
The outcome of an individual pregnancy is a key component of overall reproductive success and is strongly influenced by environmental, behavioral, and biological variation within populations. This prospective study examined the outcomes of 68 pregnancies among nomadic Turkana of Kenya from July 1993 to July 1994. A total of 12 women experienced pregnancy losses, and 3 women experienced live births with a subsequent perinatal death. The following characteristics are associated with increased risk for experiencing a fetal or perinatal death: severe morbidity episodes, shorter nonpregnant intervals, lower third‐trimester weight, higher third‐trimester summed skinfolds but limited third‐trimester reduction in summed skinfolds, and higher activity levels late in gestation. Turkana newborns measured within 48 hr of birth (n = 19) weighed an average of 2,860 ± 640 g and had a mean ponderal index of 2.72 ± 0.46. Variation in birth weight was predicted by preterm delivery, delivery during the wet season, and maternal morbidity levels. Birth length averaged 50.8 ± 6.8 cm and was positively influenced by full term delivery, better maternal health, and birth during the dry season. These results suggest complicated pathways linking the physical environment, subsistence requirements, heterogeneity in maternal fitness, behavior, and pregnancy outcome. The results augment the larger picture of reproductive success for Turkana nomads who live in a highly variable savanna environment. Am J Phys Anthropol 113:31–45, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.