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Effects of a mixed‐subsistence diet on the growth of Hadza children
Author(s) -
Pollom Trevor R.,
Cross Chad L.,
Herlosky Kristen N.,
Ford Elle,
Crittenden Alyssa N.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
american journal of human biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.559
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1520-6300
pISSN - 1042-0533
DOI - 10.1002/ajhb.23455
Subject(s) - subsistence agriculture , anthropometry , demography , medicine , environmental health , geography , archaeology , agriculture , sociology
We investigated the preliminary effects of dietary changes on the anthropometric measurements of child and adolescent Hadza foragers. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional study comparing height and weight of participants (aged 0‐17 years) at two time points, 2005 (n = 195) and 2017 (n = 52), from two locations: semi‐nomadic “bush camps” and sedentary “village camps”. World Health Organization (WHO) calculators were used to generate standardized z‐scores for weight‐for‐height (WHZ), weight‐for‐age (WAZ), height‐for‐age (HAZ), and BMI‐for‐age (BMIFAZ). Cross tabulations were constructed for each measurement variable as a function of z‐score categories and the variables year, location, and sex. Results: Residency in a village, and associated mixed‐subsistence diet, was associated with favorable growth, including greater WAZ ( P < .001), HAZ ( P < .001), and BMIFAZ ( P = .004), but not WHZ ( P = .717). Regardless of residency location, participants showed an improved WAZ ( P = .021) and HAZ ( P < .001) in the 2017 study year. We found no sex differences. Discussion and Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest that a mixed‐subsistence diet may confer advantages over an exclusive wild food diet, a trend also reported among other transitioning foragers.