Early childhood growth in Daasanach pastoralists of Northern Kenya: Distinct patterns of faltering in linear growth and weight gain
Dados Bibliográficos
| AUTOR(ES) | |
|---|---|
| AFILIAÇÃO(ÕES) | Department of Evolutionary Anthropology Duke University Durham North Carolina USA, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology The George Washington University Washington District of Columbia USA, Pennsylvania State University, Centre for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Nairobi Kenya, Kellogg School of Management Northwestern University, Marsabit Branch Concern Worldwide Dublin Ireland, Department of Earth Sciences National Museums of Kenya Nairobi Kenya |
| ANO | Não informado |
| TIPO | Artigo |
| DOI | 10.1002/ajhb.23842 |
| CITAÇÕES | 2 |
| ADICIONADO EM | 2025-08-18 |
Resumo
ObjectivesInvestigations of early childhood growth among small‐scale populations are essential for understanding human life history variation and enhancing the ability to serve such communities through global public health initiatives. This study characterizes early childhood growth trajectories and identifies differences in growth patterns relative to international references among Daasanach semi‐nomadic pastoralist children living in a hot, arid region of northern Kenya.MethodsA large sample of height and weight measures were collected from children (N = 1756; total observations = 4508; age = 0–5 years) between 2018 and 2020. Daasanach growth was compared to international reference standards and Daasanach‐specific centile growth curves and pseudo‐velocity models were generated using generalized additive models for location scale and size.ResultsCompared to World Health Organization (WHO) reference, relatively few Daasanach children were stunted (14.3%), while a large proportion were underweight (38.5%) and wasted (53.6%). Additionally, Daasanach children had a distinctive pattern of growth, marked by an increase in linear growth velocity after 24 months of age and relatively high linear growth velocity throughout the rest of early childhood.ConclusionsThese results identify a unique pattern of early childhood growth faltering among children in a small‐scale population and may reflect a thermoregulatory adaptation to their hot, arid environment. As linear growth and weight gain remain important indicators of health, the results of this study provide insight into growth velocity variations. This study has important implications for global public health efforts to identify and address sources of early growth faltering and undernutrition in small‐scale populations.