The “Double Burden of Malnutrition” in the Amazon: dietary change and drastic increases in obesity and anemia over 40 years among the Awajún

Tallman, Paula S.; Valdés‐Velásquez, Armando; Sanchez-Samaniego, Giuliana

doi:10.1080/03670244.2021.1916925

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The reduced dependency on wild foods accompanied by a dietary shift towards convenience foods is a typical feature of nutrition transition that has become a common phenomenon among indigenous communities in India and globally [9,25,57,67]. The ongoing 'delocalization of food' across indigenous communities undermines their food sovereignty and is leading to malnutrition of all forms in these populations [52,68]. Thus, addressing this phenomenon through promotion of IFs is highly recommended.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-existence of potentially sustainable indigenous food systems and poor nutritional status in Ho indigenous community, India: an exploratory study

Kapoor,

Sabharwal,

Ghosh-Jerath

2024

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Indigenous food (IF) systems comprise culturally important foods derived from natural resources with shorter farm to plate chains, as compared to modern counterparts. These food systems are at epicenter of sustainable food systems with potential to alleviate malnutrition and protect ecosystems. The Ho indigenous community of Jharkhand have access to diverse IFs, yet experience malnutrition. A sequential mixed-method study was conducted to explore local food systems with assessment of diet quality and nutritional status of Ho women. Focus group discussions (n=10) and free-listing (n=7) were conducted to capture community’s perspectives on IF systems, associated sustainable attributes and perceived challenges towards IF utilization. Scientific names and nutritive values of IFs were documented through secondary review; in case of no information in literature, IFs were identified through ethnobotanist with nutritional analysis in laboratory. 24-hour recalls (n=284 in winter and n=154 in monsoon) and anthropometric assessments (n=273) were conducted to estimate women’s dietary diversity and nutritional status. Findings revealed rich traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) producing a diverse list of IFs (n=243) mainly accessed from natural food environment (wild and cultivated). Among listed foods, 171 IFs were taxonomically classified and among these, nutritive values were documented for 121 IFs. Potentially sustainable traits of Ho’s IF systems included high nutrient density of IFs, community’s preference towards their consumption because of their flavorsome attributes, climate resilient properties and cultural heritage. However, impacts of climate variability, changing farming practices and market-integrated life ways challenged the sustained production, access and consumption of IFs. This was evident in poor diversity in diets (diet diversity scores of 2.9 in winter and monsoon) and chronic energy deficiency (36%) in women. The unique TEK systems of indigenous communities need to be integrated into mainstream policies and programs for safeguarding and promoting their potentially sustainable food systems to support food and nutritional security.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-existence of potentially sustainable indigenous food systems and poor nutritional status in Ho indigenous community, India: an exploratory study

Kapoor,

Sabharwal,

Ghosh-Jerath

2024

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…Local freshwater systems also provide hundreds of different species of fish and other aquatic biota for food, including turtles, snails, shrimp, crabs, frogs and caiman (Berlin & Markell, 1977). Tallman, Valdes-Velasquez, et al (2022) compared diets among the Awajún of the Peruvian Amazon in the 1970s and in 2013 and found that community members now only eat a fraction of aquatic species previously recognized as important. These changes in diet were attributed to larger ecological changes due to highway construction and were accompanied by the emergence of higher levels of obesity and anaemia among the Awajún (Tallman, Collins, et al, 2022;Tallman, Riley-Powell, et al, 2022;Tallman, Valdes-Velasquez, et al, 2022), suggesting that diverse aquatic food sources buffer against the development of chronic disease.…”

Section: Microsystem (Individual)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of research on this topic has been conducted in water‐scarce areas (Wutich, 2020). However, there is an emerging group of studies documenting water insecurity in ‘water abundant’ areas such as the Amazon rainforest in South America (Rosinger, 2018; Tallman, Collins, et al., 2022; Tallman, Riley‐Powell, et al., 2022; Tallman, Valdes‐Velasquez, et al., 2022; Torres‐Slimming et al., 2020), the Congo and Chad River basins in Africa (Nagabhatla et al., 2021), the Mekong region of Southeast Asia (Sithirith, 2021) and in communities throughout North America (Eichelberger, 2018; Martin et al., 2021). These studies highlight how anthropogenic changes related to climate change and extractive industries produce water insecurity and how water insecurity influences human health, particularly that of Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) (Leonard et al., 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Waterscapes meet socio‐ecological models: A relational framework to examine water insecurity and human health and well‐being

Tallman,

Piland,

Villarmarzo

et al. 2024

People and Nature

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Water insecurity, the inability to benefit from affordable, adequate, reliable and safe water, is one of the greatest contemporary threats facing humans. While ‘water insecurity’, as a concept, is globally recognized and serves an essential function in policymaking, it does not capture the multiple, relational connections between Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) and water systems. We contend that studies of water insecurity and health among IPLCs can be improved by applying a systematic approach to the concept of waterscapes. The term waterscape describes the socio‐natural relations between humans and water. To make examining waterscapes more systematic and to draw attention to the importance of health within waterscapes, we use a four‐tiered socio–ecological approach to describe the multi‐level interactions between IPLCs and local water systems in the Amazonian watershed. We then apply this four‐tiered model to the case of the Belo Monte dam in the Brazilian Amazon to identify the specific health impacts of disrupting the Xingu River waterscape. Applying the four‐tiered socio‐ecological approach to the Belo Monte case study showed that this dam led to flooding and compromised water quality that local people associated with an increased risk for chronic health conditions, such as kidney and renal diseases, and vector‐borne diseases, such as dengue. Displacement due to the dam threatened food security, economic security, community cohesion and the cultural survival of multiple IPLCs along the Xingu river. Our approach uncovers not only the direct consequences of the dam on water insecurity but also the broader implications for community well‐being and cultural integrity, addressing the diverse challenges arising from human‐water interactions. The four‐tiered approach for assessing waterscapes offers a framework that enables a comprehensive examination of the intricate relations between water and humans. While there are overlaps among the levels, this framework is applicable to other situations where mining, oil extraction and the construction of hydrovías are substantially altering local waterscapes. Tools such as this one can promote more meaningful engagement between researchers, policymakers, and IPLCs in defining the range of outcomes to be considered in social and environmental impact assessments. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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“…It is worth noting that of the four infants with stunted growth, three have over-weight mothers, with the infant of the most overweight mother also considered under-weight. The so called 'double-burden of disease' where overweight and undernutrition are found within the same household, is a common finding amongst Indigenous communities experiencing food insecurity and undergoing a nutritional transition: moving away from a traditional Indigenous diet and increasingly eating a high-fat westernized diet [117][118][119][120][121][122]. This finding is surprising in a hard-to-reach region, where communities are ostensibly still reliant on Indigenous grown foods.…”

Section: Nutrition and Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Assessment of Health Outcomes and Methylmercury Exposure in Munduruku Indigenous Women of Childbearing Age and Their Children under 2 Years Old

Kempton

Périssé

Hofer

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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In line with the 1000-day initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 and 3, we present a cross-sectional analysis of maternal health, infant nutrition, and methylmercury exposure within hard-to-reach indigenous communities in the state of Pará, Brazilian Amazon. We collected data from all women of childbearing age (i.e., 12–49) and their infants under two years old in three Munduruku communities (Sawré Muybu, Sawré Aboy, and Poxo Muybu) along the Tapajos River. We explored health outcomes through interviews, vaccine coverage and clinical assessment, and determined baseline hair methylmercury (H-Hg) levels. Hemoglobin, infant growth (Anthropometric Z scores) and neurodevelopment tests results were collected. We found that 62% of women of childbearing age exceeded the reference limit of 6.0 μg/g H-Hg (median = 7.115, IQR = 4.678), with the worst affected community (Sawré Aboy) registering an average H-Hg concentration of 12.67 μg/g. Half of infants aged under 24 months presented with anemia. Three of 16 (18.8%) infants presented H-Hg levels above 6.0 µg/g (median: 3.88; IQR = 3.05). Four of the 16 infants were found to be stunted and 38% of women overweight, evidencing possible nutritional transition. No infant presented with appropriate vaccination coverage for their age. These communities presented with an estimated Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of 86.7/1000 live births. The highest H-Hg level (19.6 µg/g) was recorded in an 11-month-old girl who was found to have gross motor delay and anemia. This already vulnerable indigenous Munduruku community presents with undernutrition and a high prevalence of chronic methylmercury exposure in women of childbearing age. This dual public health crisis in the context of wider health inequalities has the potential to compromise the development, health and survival of the developing fetus and infant in the first two critical years of life. We encourage culturally sensitive intervention and further research to focus efforts.

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The “Double Burden of Malnutrition” in the Amazon: dietary change and drastic increases in obesity and anemia over 40 years among the Awajún

Cited by 12 publications

References 45 publications

Co-existence of potentially sustainable indigenous food systems and poor nutritional status in Ho indigenous community, India: an exploratory study

Co-existence of potentially sustainable indigenous food systems and poor nutritional status in Ho indigenous community, India: an exploratory study

Waterscapes meet socio‐ecological models: A relational framework to examine water insecurity and human health and well‐being

An Assessment of Health Outcomes and Methylmercury Exposure in Munduruku Indigenous Women of Childbearing Age and Their Children under 2 Years Old

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