BMI, income, and social capital in a native Amazonian society: Interaction between relative and community variables

Abstract

Researchers have shown interest in the relation between (a) social capital and individual income and (b) the individual health of people of industrial nations. The socioeconomic complexity of industrial nations makes it difficult to arrive at firm conclusions. We circumvent the obstacle by using data from a small-scale rural society of foragers-farmers in the Bolivian Amazon (Tsimane'). We examine the interactions between the outcome (BMI) and relative income, relative social capital, village income, and village social capital. We test three hypotheses: people in villages with more social capital should have higher BMI, the positive association between social capital and BMI will be more marked among the less well-off, and better-off people who display generosity will have higher BMI than better-off people who do not. On the methodological side we show the importance of: focusing on relative measures of income and social capital, estimating interaction between community and relative measures of income and social capital, and showing results through contour plots that summarize the relation between BMI and pairs of explanatory variables. On the substantive side we find evidence that village social capital and village income complement each other and are associated with higher BMI, the rich who are stingy have lower BMI than the rich who display generosity, and increase in village income might reduce individual incentives to invest in social capital. We explore interactions between explanatory variables and their influence on BMI, and end by recommending the use of an experimental research design to obtain unbiased estimates of causal effects.

Nutritional status and socioeconomic change among Toba and Wichí populations of the Argentinean Chaco

“…The development of social and economic differences in relatively egalitarian hunter-gatherer societies and their subsequent effect on health and well-being have received recent attention from anthropologists and public health researchers (Brabec et al, 2007; Godoy et al, 2005a; Godoy et al, 2006; Reyes-Garcia et al, 2008a). In agreement with those studies, our results show that although overweight and obesity rates are relatively high, at least some of the variation in nutritional status in the populations was accounted for by socioeconomic stratification.…”

“…Diet composition and levels of physical activity are two proximate mechanisms that have been the focus of several biological anthropology studies in transitional populations in Latin America (Benefice et al, 2007; Brabec et al, 2007; Fernandez et al, 2003; Godoy et al, 2005a; Hernandez et al, 2003; Lourenco et al, 2008; Reyes-Garcia et al, 2008b; Tavares et al, 2003; Valeggia and Ellison, 2003b). Nutritional household surveys, interviews, and direct observational studies provide detailed qualitative information on the degree of change experienced by these populations.…”

Growth and market integration in Amazonia: A comparison of growth indicators between Shuar, Shiwiar, and nonindigenous school children

“…Although at present we do not have quantitative data to test this hypothesis, preliminary food frequency and open-ended interview data supports this view: in the Upano Valley hunting is relatively infrequent, game is scarce, and purchased meats infrequent in the diet. Acculturation may also decrease traditional activities such as the sharing of meat between families, such as has occurred among the Tsimane (Brabec et al, 2007).…”

Heterogeneous effects of market integration on sub-adult body size and nutritional status among the Shuar of Amazonian Ecuador

“…Diverse in nature and degree, this collective phenomenon of market integration (MI) – increasing production for and consumption from a market-based economy – has become a primary focus of Amazonian anthropological and human ecological research (Godoy et al, 2005; Hern, 1991; Lu, 2007; Santos et al, 1998; Valdivia, 2005). At the centre of this body of work has been investigation of the impact of markets on the biology and health of indigenous peoples, with particular interest in understanding the nature of relationships between MI and patterns of increasing adult overweight/obesity and chronic disease (Benefice et al, 2007; Brabec et al, 2007; Byron, 2003; Dangour, 2003; Godoy et al, 2006b; Gugelmin and Santos, 2001; Gurven et al, 2013; Liebert et al, 2013; Lindgärde et al, 2004; Lourenço et al, 2014; Santos and Coimbra, 1996; Silva and Eckhardt, 1994; Tavares et al, 2003; Welch et al, 2009; Zeng et al, 2013). …”