Field test of self-paced work capacity: Ifugao rice farmers

Steegmann, A. Theodore; Hewner, Sharon; Datar, Francisco A.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1520-6300(200003/04)12:2<192::aid-ajhb4>3.0.co;2-u

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Seventeen interval-level variables were not correlated with either dependent variable (wellbeing or prosperity). Descriptive statistics are reported elsewhere (Steegmann et al, 2000). Table 2 provides the frequency distribution of responses to the scaled householdlevel variables.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postmenopausal function in context: Biocultural observations on Amish, neighboring non‐Amish, and Ifugao household health

Hewner

2001

American J Hum Biol

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Ecological approaches to female post-reproductive function must consider the social context and microenvironment of the household. A model integrating these environmental factors into the analysis of late-life well-being (operationally defined as household health) is presented and explored in three settings: an Old Order Amish community, the neighboring community of non-Amish, and an Ifugao community in the Philippine highlands. Intensive interview and observation of function were completed in a sample of at least 25 households in each community. The complex interaction of social and biological factors is explored in case studies and through multiple regression analysis with household health as the dependent variable. The results emphasize the importance of social support and assessing capabilities within the household. The results also suggest the need for natural field observation of work to better understand the influence of pacing and scheduling, necessity of work, and the role of environmental modification in postmenopausal function. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 13:521-530, 2001.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postmenopausal function in context: Biocultural observations on Amish, neighboring non‐Amish, and Ifugao household health

Hewner

2001

American J Hum Biol

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“…There is growing awareness of the importance of self-pacing as an adaptive behavioral strategy enabling workers to compensate for small body size or low physical work capacity (Steegman et al, 1997(Steegman et al, , 2000Panter-Brick, in press). In the present study, the importance of self-pacing and frequent resting as a technique for regulating work intensity is demonstrated by the highly significant inverse relationship observed between rate of energy expenditure and load weight relative to body mass ( Table 5).…”

Section: Importance Of Self-pacing and Frequent Rest Stopsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commercial porters of eastern Nepal: Health status, physical work capacity, and energy expenditure

et al. 2001

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The purpose of the study was to compare full-time hill porters in eastern Nepal with part-time casual porters engaged primarily in subsistence farming. The 50 porters selected for this study in Kenja (elevation 1,664 m) were young adult males of Tibeto-Nepali origin. Following standardized interviews, anthropometry, and routine physical examinations, the porters were tested in a field laboratory for physiological parameters associated with aerobic performance. Exercise testing, using a step test and indirect calorimetry, included a submaximal assessment of economy and a maximal-effort graded exercise test. Energy expenditure was measured in the field during actual tumpline load carriage. No statistically significant differences were found between full-time and part-time porters with respect to age, anthropometric characteristics, health, nutritional status, or aerobic power. Mean VO2 peak was 2.38 +/- 0.27 L/min (47.1 +/- 5.3 ml/kg/min). Load-carrying economy did not differ significantly between porter groups. The relationship between VO2 and load was linear over the range of 10-30 kg with a slope of 9 +/- 4 ml O2/min per kg of load. During the field test of actual work performance, porters expended, on average, 348 +/- 68 kcal/hr in carrying loads on the level and 408 +/- 60 kcal/hr in carrying loads uphill. Most porters stopped every 2 min, on average, to rest their loads briefly on T-headed resting sticks (tokmas). The technique of self-paced, intermittent exercise together with the modest increase in energy demands for carrying increasingly heavier loads allows these individuals to regulate work intensity and carry extremely heavy loads without creating persistent medical problems.

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Ecogeographical associations between climate and human body composition: Analyses based on anthropometry and skinfolds

Wells¹

2011

American J Phys Anthropol

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In the 19th century, two "ecogeographical rules" were proposed hypothesizing associations of climate with mammalian body size and proportions. Data on human body weight and relative leg length support these rules; however, it is unknown whether such associations are attributable to lean tissue (the heat-producing component) or fat (energy stores). Data on weight, height, and two skinfold thickness were obtained from the literature for 137 nonindustrialized populations, providing 145 male and 115 female individual samples. A variety of indices of adiposity and lean mass were analyzed. Preliminary analyses indicated secular increases in skinfolds in men but not women, and associations of age and height with lean mass in both sexes. Decreasing annual temperature was associated with increasing body mass index (BMI), and increasing triceps but not subscapular skinfold. After adjusting for skinfolds, decreasing temperature remained associated with increasing BMI. These results indicate that colder environments favor both greater peripheral energy stores, and greater lean mass. Contrasting results for triceps and subscapular skinfolds might be due to adaptive strategies either constraining central adiposity in cold environments to reduce cardiovascular risk, or favoring central adiposity in warmer environments to maintain energetic support of the immune system. Polynesian populations were analyzed separately and contradicted all of the climate trends, indicating support for the hypothesis that they are cold-adapted despite occupying a tropical region. It is unclear whether such associations emerge through natural selection or through trans-generational and life-course plasticity. These findings nevertheless aid understanding of the wide variability in human physique and adiposity.

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Field test of self-paced work capacity: Ifugao rice farmers

Cited by 4 publications

References 9 publications

Postmenopausal function in context: Biocultural observations on Amish, neighboring non‐Amish, and Ifugao household health

Postmenopausal function in context: Biocultural observations on Amish, neighboring non‐Amish, and Ifugao household health

Commercial porters of eastern Nepal: Health status, physical work capacity, and energy expenditure

Ecogeographical associations between climate and human body composition: Analyses based on anthropometry and skinfolds

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