Lifespan approach to the study of human biology: An introductory overview

Leidy, L.E.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1520-6300(1996)8:6<699::aid-ajhb1>3.3.co;2-n

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The use of a model of progressive life stages can circumvent many of the difficulties that arise when determining the chronological age of individuals. It requires identifying clear developmental and degenerative endpoints on the skeleton, which serve as a proxy for those biological events that cannot be observed on the skeleton, but through which all humans must pass (Leidy, 1996). The chronological age at which these endpoints are achieved may vary, between individuals and across populations, depending on a number of factors.…”

Section: Life History Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using the life history model to set the stage(s) of growth and senescence in bioarchaeology and paleodemography

Roksandić

Armstrong

2011

American J Phys Anthropol

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Paleodemography, the study of demographic parameters of past human populations, relies on assumptions including biological uniformitarianism, stationary populations, and the ability to determine point age estimates from skeletal material. These assumptions have been widely criticized in the literature and various solutions have been proposed. The majority of these solutions rely on statistical modeling, and have not seen widespread application. Most bioarchaeologists recognize that our ability to assess chronological age is inherently limited, and have instead resorted to large, qualitative, age categories. However, there has been little attempt in the literature to systematize and define the stages of development and ageing used in bioarchaeology. We propose that stages should be based in the human life history pattern, and their skeletal markers should have easily defined and clear endpoints. In addition to a standard five-stage developmental model based on the human life history pattern, current among human biologists, we suggest divisions within the adult stage that recognize the specific nature of skeletal samples. We therefore propose the following eight stages recognizable in human skeletal development and senescence: infancy, early childhood, late childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, full adulthood, mature adulthood, and senile adulthood. Striving toward a better prediction of chronological ages will remain important and could eventually help us understand to what extent past societies differed in the timing of these life stages. Furthermore, paleodemographers should try to develop methods that rely on the type of age information accessible from the skeletal material, which uses life stages, rather than point age estimates.

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Section: Life History Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using the life history model to set the stage(s) of growth and senescence in bioarchaeology and paleodemography

Roksandić

Armstrong

2011

American J Phys Anthropol

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“…Despite our understanding of the mechanisms of bone turnover, clinical and epidemiological data are inconsistent regarding the extent to which female reproductive factors shape bone loss and accretion in both the immediate and long‐term (i.e., premenopause and postmenopause, respectively). These inconsistencies may be partly attributed to the interrelated nature of developmental and reproductive stages (Agarwal and Glencross,2011; Leidy,1996; Pike,2001). That is, the timing of each reproductive stage is closely linked to developmental factors as well as other characteristics of the reproductive cycle such as lactation patterns.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These developmental factors, themselves, are further shaped by local ecological, environmental, and social variables (e.g., Piperata,2009). Approaching skeletal health using a life history perspective is a potential remedy to this issue as it acknowledges that every life stage represents a point along a cumulative progression, and that the dynamic interaction between developmental phases across the lifecycle is largely fueled by the availability of energetic resources necessary to modulate these stages (Leidy,1996).…”

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confidence: 99%

Extended safety and efficacy data on S‐1 plus cisplatin in patients with untreated, advanced gastric carcinoma in a multicenter phase II study

Lenz

Lee

Haller

et al. 2006

Cancer

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Objective: Clinical and epidemiological research suggest that bone mineral density (BMD) in women is shaped by various reproductive factors such as parity and lactation patterns. However, the extent of these effects on BMD remains unclear because of contradictory findings and a focus on industrialized populations. Because fertility patterns in these groups are vastly different than those of women from non‐Western, subsistence populations, our current understanding of the reproductive effects on skeletal health is incomplete. Using a life history perspective, this study examines the relationship between reproductive factors and bone density among women from the Indigenous Shuar population, an Amazonian Ecuadorian forager‐horticulturalist group. Methods: This preliminary, cross‐sectional study included 130 premenopausal and postmenopausal women (14–86 years old) from the Morona‐Santiago region of Ecuador. Anthropometrics were recorded, as was estimated BMD using a calcaneal ultrasonometer. A reproductive history questionnaire was administered that included questions regarding menarche, parity, lactation patterns, and menopause. Results: Among postmenopausal women, early menarche and greater stature were significantly associated with higher bone density values. Among premenopausal women, few significant relationships between bone values and reproductive variables were documented; effects of lactation appeared to be transient and restored following weaning. Conclusions: Although preliminary and not based on longitudinal data, these findings suggest that the effects of reproduction are transient as the system of calcium homeostasis in premenopausal women efficiently restores the bone loss that results from metabolically active reproductive states. Further, this research suggests that the timing of early life history events may canalize bone density phenotype. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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“…The concept of a life cycle has generally been used in other scientific disciplines to describe a series of distinct, bounded life stages which are socially or biologically determined. 52 In contrast the concept of the life span used in psychology assumes that development and aging form a continuous process from birth to death. The distinction between life span and life course, the term used more commonly in sociology, is mainly a matter of scientific history.…”

Section: Life Cycle/life Span/life Coursementioning

confidence: 99%