Physical Growth of the Shuar: Height, Weight, and BMI References for an Indigenous Amazonian Population

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Am J Hum Biol
• Personal Author:
  Urlacher, Samuel S. ; Blackwell, Aaron D. ; Liebert, Melissa A. ; Madimenos, Felicia C. ; Cepon-Robins, Tara J. ; Gildner, Theresa E. ; Snodgrass, J. Josh ; Sugiyama, Lawrence S.
• Description:
  Objectives
  
  Information concerning physical growth among small-scale populations remains limited, yet such data are critical to local health efforts and to foster basic understandings of human life history and variation in childhood development. Using a large dataset and robust modeling methods, this study aims to describe growth from birth to adulthood among the indigenous Shuar of Amazonian Ecuador.
  
  Methods
  
  Mixed-longitudinal measures of height, weight, and BMI were collected from Shuar participants (n = 2,463; age 0–29 years). Centile growth curves and tables were created for each anthropometric variable of interest using GAMLSS. Pseudo-velocity and LMS curves were generated to further investigate Shuar patterns of growth and to facilitate comparison with U.S. CDC and multinational WHO growth references.
  
  Results
  
  The Shuar are small throughout life and exhibit complex patterns of growth that differ substantially from those of international references. Similar to other Amazonians, Shuar growth in weight compares more favorably to references than growth in height, resulting in BMI curves that approximate international medians. Several additional characteristics of Shuar development are noteworthy, including large observed variation in body size early in life, significant infant growth faltering, extended male growth into adulthood, and a markedly early female pubertal growth spurt in height. Phenotypic plasticity and genetic selection in response to local environmental factors may explain many of these patterns.
  
  Conclusions
  
  Providing a detailed reference of growth for the Shuar and other Amazonian populations, this study possesses direct clinical application and affords valuable insight into childhood health and the ecology of human growth.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Adult Body Height Body Mass Index Body Weight Child Child, Preschool Female Humans Indians, South American Infant Infant, Newborn Male Reference Values Young Adult

  More +
• Source:
  Am J Hum Biol. 28(1):16-30
• Pubmed ID:
  26126793
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4696921
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  DP1 OD000516/OD/NIH HHS/United States ; 5DP1O000516-04/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHS/United States
• Place as Subject:
  Ecuador
• Volume:
  28
• Issue:
  1
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:09288192a33d4ae2653edaf335e93638c1104f43918b3bed30870393422e82a0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/39145/cdc_39145_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.44 MB ]