Body Size and Risk of Death During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in Alaska
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17701640 |
|---|---|
| Authors | T P Van Doren (0000-0002-3827-6550, Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage Alaska USA, corresponding author), Lauren E Steele (School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Science University of Queensland Brisbane Australia), Emma Tinker‐Fortel (Department of Anthropology University of Missouri Columbia Missouri USA), Lisa Sattenspiel (0000-0003-4534-3392, Department of Anthropology University of Missouri Columbia Missouri USA) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | e70151-e70151 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Human Biology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1042-0533 • E-ISSN: 1520-6300 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/ajhb.70151 |
| PMID | 41030109 |
| OpenAlex | W4414709573 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 168 |
In the aftermath of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A pandemic, research revealed the relationship between body size and the severity of influenza outcomes. However, there is little data available on body size in historical populations; therefore, the relationship between body size and 1918 influenza pandemic outcomes is virtually unknown. Alaskan death records from the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics with recorded height and mass at death ( n = 2724) were analyzed to illuminate this relationship during both the pandemic (1918–20) and a non‐pandemic period (1917, 1921–25). Binomial logistic regression models were fit to predict the likelihood of a P&I death against four other major causes of death, first using only BMI as a predictor, then controlling for demographic variables. BMI alone can predict the probability of P&I death, but only during the pandemic period ( p < 0.001). BMI (ORs = 0.90–1.51), all regions (ORs = 2.08–9.17), age (OR = 0.98), sex (male: OR = 0.66–0.75), and ethnicity group (non‐Alaska Native: OR = 0.36–0.37) significantly predicted the likelihood of a P&I death during the pandemic. The results suggest that as BMI increases, the risk of P&I death also increases with additional predictors, but only during the 1918 influenza pandemic period. There is no significant relationship between BMI and P&I death outside of pandemic years. This result may contribute an additional unique feature to our understanding of the 1918 influenza pandemic and its epidemiological novelty. This research further contributes new data on historical population biology and contextualizes results within the framework of developmental origins of health and disease for ultimate explanations of differential risks between Alaska Native and settler populations
Birth, Development, and Health · Influenza Virus Research Studies · Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
The Alaska Native Reader
Indians of the Northwest Coast /
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
Biological memories of past environments
Body Mass Index
Weight in Infancy and Death From Ischaemic Heart Disease
Inflammatory Exposure and Historical Changes in Human Life-Spans
The fetal and infant origins of adult disease.
Beyond BMI
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Colonialism as a Broader Social Determinant of Health
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Syndemics and Public Health
Health of Indigenous Circumpolar Populations
Cocirculating Epidemics, Chronic Health Problems, and Social Conditions in Early 20th Century Labrador and Alaska
Deconstructing the 1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic in the Maltese Islands
Post-pandemic Inequalities
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |