TY - JOUR
T1 - Household Food Insecurity, Hair Cortisol, and Adiposity Among Tsimane’ Hunter-Forager-Horticulturalists in Bolivia
AU - Bethancourt, Hilary J.
AU - Ulrich, Matthew A.
AU - Almeida, David M.
AU - Rosinger, Asher Y.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was funded by a Pennsylvania State University Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) Human Health and Environment Seed Grant and funds from the College of Health and Human Development. AYR is also supported by the Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professorship funds and Penn State’s Population Research Institute (NICHD P2CHD041025). The funders had no role in the research or interpretation of results.
Funding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge the Pennsylvania State University Biomarker Core Laboratory for work analyzing the hair samples for cortisol concentration. We would also like to thank the Gran Consejo Tsimane?, our survey team and translators (Manuel Roca Moye, Elias Hiza Nate, Robin Nate Roca), our research assistants (Celine LaTona, Alysha Kelyman, Jason John), community leaders from participating Tsimane? communities, and all Tsimane? study participants. Finally, we would like to thank Alan Schultz for discussing his research on stress among Tsimane? with us and sharing his fieldwork protocols for collecting hair samples among this population.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Obesity Society
PY - 2021/6
Y1 - 2021/6
N2 - Objectives: This study examined how household food insecurity (HFI) and chronic stress relate to adiposity among Tsimane’ hunter-forager-horticulturalists in remote Bolivia with limited access to energy-dense processed foods that promote weight gain among industrialized populations. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional data on HFI (via the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale [HFIAS]), hair cortisol concentration (HCC), adiposity (BMI, body fat percentage [%BF]), and sociodemographics were collected from 171 men, 164 women, and 167 children. Linear mixed-effects models tested linear, quadratic, joint, and interactive relationships between adiposity measures and both the HFIAS score and HCC. Results: Among children, each 3-point HFIAS score increase was associated with a 0.44-point higher %BF (SE = 0.22, P = 0.04). However, each 20% increase in HCC was associated with a −0.29-point difference in %BF (SE = 0.12, P = 0.01). Among men, a slight curvilinear relationship emerged between HFIAS and BMI. HFIAS and HCC were unrelated to adiposity measures among women. HCC did not modify relationships between HFIAS and adiposity in any subgroup. Conclusions: These findings from a remote, small-scale population suggest that positive associations between HFI and adiposity are not isolated to contexts of industrialized food environments and heavy reliance on processed foods. However, these dynamics and the role of stress appear to differ by sex and age group.
AB - Objectives: This study examined how household food insecurity (HFI) and chronic stress relate to adiposity among Tsimane’ hunter-forager-horticulturalists in remote Bolivia with limited access to energy-dense processed foods that promote weight gain among industrialized populations. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional data on HFI (via the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale [HFIAS]), hair cortisol concentration (HCC), adiposity (BMI, body fat percentage [%BF]), and sociodemographics were collected from 171 men, 164 women, and 167 children. Linear mixed-effects models tested linear, quadratic, joint, and interactive relationships between adiposity measures and both the HFIAS score and HCC. Results: Among children, each 3-point HFIAS score increase was associated with a 0.44-point higher %BF (SE = 0.22, P = 0.04). However, each 20% increase in HCC was associated with a −0.29-point difference in %BF (SE = 0.12, P = 0.01). Among men, a slight curvilinear relationship emerged between HFIAS and BMI. HFIAS and HCC were unrelated to adiposity measures among women. HCC did not modify relationships between HFIAS and adiposity in any subgroup. Conclusions: These findings from a remote, small-scale population suggest that positive associations between HFI and adiposity are not isolated to contexts of industrialized food environments and heavy reliance on processed foods. However, these dynamics and the role of stress appear to differ by sex and age group.
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U2 - 10.1002/oby.23137
DO - 10.1002/oby.23137
M3 - Article
C2 - 33864348
AN - SCOPUS:85104317776
SN - 1930-7381
VL - 29
SP - 1046
EP - 1057
JO - Obesity
JF - Obesity
IS - 6
ER -
