Fear, violence, inequality, and stunting in Guatemala

doi:10.1002/ajhb.23627

. 2022 Feb;34(2):e23627.

doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23627. Epub 2021 Jun 14.

Fear, violence, inequality, and stunting in Guatemala

Barry Bogin^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK.
² UCSD/Salk Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), University of California San Diego, USA.

PMID: 34125987
DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23627

Fear, violence, inequality, and stunting in Guatemala

Barry Bogin. Am J Hum Biol. 2022 Feb.

. 2022 Feb;34(2):e23627.

doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23627. Epub 2021 Jun 14.

Author

Barry Bogin^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK.
² UCSD/Salk Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), University of California San Diego, USA.

PMID: 34125987
DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23627

Abstract

Background: Stunting is defined by the public health community as a length- or height-for-age <-2 SD of a growth standard or reference and is claimed to be caused by poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation.

Material and methods: Stunting is common at all income levels in middle- and low-income countries. At the higher income levels, stunting is unlikely to be caused by nutrient deficiency or infectious disease.

Results: In Guatemala, 17% of <5-year-olds in the highest family income quintile are stunted. Guatemala has a history of violence from armed conflict, current-day social and economic inequalities, government corruption, and threat of kidnapping for the wealthiest families.

Discussion and conclusion: The high level of persistent violence creates an ecology of fear, an extreme range of inequalities in Social-Economic-Political-Emotional resources, and biosocial stress that inhibits skeletal growth and causes stunting for people of all income levels.

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References

REFERENCES

1. Arlt, W., & Stewart, P. M. (2005). Adrenal corticosteroid biosynthesis, metabolism, and action. Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America, 34(2), 293-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecl.2005.01.002
1. Barch, D. M., Shirtcliff, E. A., Elsayed, N. M., Whalen, D., Gilbert, K., Vogel, A. C., Tillman, R., & Luby, J. L. (2020). Testosterone and hippocampal trajectories mediate relationship of poverty to emotion dysregulation and depression. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(36), 22015-22023. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2004363117
1. Beaumont, J., Atkins, E.-C., Buckberry, J., Haydock, H., Horne, P., Howcroft, R., Mackenzie, K., & Montgomery, J. (2018). Comparing apples and oranges: Why infant bone collagen may not reflect dietary intake in the same way as dentine collagen. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 167(3), 524-540. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23682
1. Berger, J. M., Singh, P., Khrimian, L., Morgan, D. A., Chowdhury, S., Arteaga-Solis, E., Horvath, T. L., Domingos, A. I., Marsland, A. L., Yadav, V. K., Rahmouni, K., Gao, X. B., & Karsenty, G. (2019). Mediation of the acute stress response by the skeleton. Cell Metabolism, 30(5), 890-902.e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.08.012
1. Black, R. E., Allen, L. H., Bhutta, Z. A., Caulfield, L. E., de Onis, M., Ezzati, M., Mathers, C., Rivera, J., & Maternal and Child Undernutrition Study Group. (2008). Maternal and child undernutrition: Global and regional exposures and health consequences. Lancet, 371(9608), 243-260. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61690-0

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[1] Arlt, W., & Stewart, P. M. (2005). Adrenal corticosteroid biosynthesis, metabolism, and action. Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America, 34(2), 293-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecl.2005.01.002

[2] Arlt, W., & Stewart, P. M. (2005). Adrenal corticosteroid biosynthesis, metabolism, and action. Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America, 34(2), 293-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecl.2005.01.002

[3] Barch, D. M., Shirtcliff, E. A., Elsayed, N. M., Whalen, D., Gilbert, K., Vogel, A. C., Tillman, R., & Luby, J. L. (2020). Testosterone and hippocampal trajectories mediate relationship of poverty to emotion dysregulation and depression. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(36), 22015-22023. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2004363117

[4] Barch, D. M., Shirtcliff, E. A., Elsayed, N. M., Whalen, D., Gilbert, K., Vogel, A. C., Tillman, R., & Luby, J. L. (2020). Testosterone and hippocampal trajectories mediate relationship of poverty to emotion dysregulation and depression. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(36), 22015-22023. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2004363117

[5] Beaumont, J., Atkins, E.-C., Buckberry, J., Haydock, H., Horne, P., Howcroft, R., Mackenzie, K., & Montgomery, J. (2018). Comparing apples and oranges: Why infant bone collagen may not reflect dietary intake in the same way as dentine collagen. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 167(3), 524-540. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23682

[6] Beaumont, J., Atkins, E.-C., Buckberry, J., Haydock, H., Horne, P., Howcroft, R., Mackenzie, K., & Montgomery, J. (2018). Comparing apples and oranges: Why infant bone collagen may not reflect dietary intake in the same way as dentine collagen. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 167(3), 524-540. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23682

[7] Berger, J. M., Singh, P., Khrimian, L., Morgan, D. A., Chowdhury, S., Arteaga-Solis, E., Horvath, T. L., Domingos, A. I., Marsland, A. L., Yadav, V. K., Rahmouni, K., Gao, X. B., & Karsenty, G. (2019). Mediation of the acute stress response by the skeleton. Cell Metabolism, 30(5), 890-902.e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.08.012

[8] Berger, J. M., Singh, P., Khrimian, L., Morgan, D. A., Chowdhury, S., Arteaga-Solis, E., Horvath, T. L., Domingos, A. I., Marsland, A. L., Yadav, V. K., Rahmouni, K., Gao, X. B., & Karsenty, G. (2019). Mediation of the acute stress response by the skeleton. Cell Metabolism, 30(5), 890-902.e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.08.012

[9] Black, R. E., Allen, L. H., Bhutta, Z. A., Caulfield, L. E., de Onis, M., Ezzati, M., Mathers, C., Rivera, J., & Maternal and Child Undernutrition Study Group. (2008). Maternal and child undernutrition: Global and regional exposures and health consequences. Lancet, 371(9608), 243-260. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61690-0

[10] Black, R. E., Allen, L. H., Bhutta, Z. A., Caulfield, L. E., de Onis, M., Ezzati, M., Mathers, C., Rivera, J., & Maternal and Child Undernutrition Study Group. (2008). Maternal and child undernutrition: Global and regional exposures and health consequences. Lancet, 371(9608), 243-260. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61690-0

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Fear, violence, inequality, and stunting in Guatemala

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Fear, violence, inequality, and stunting in Guatemala

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