Mind the gap: Contesting normal/abnormal constructs of human biology and behaviors

Cullin, Jennifer M; Vitzthum, Virginia J.; Wiley, Andrea S.

doi:10.1002/ajhb.23666

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Deviations from personal bleeding norms may be perceived negatively (i.e., as cause for concern about health or fertility) even if the change is small by clinical criteria [11,21,22]. Shared beliefs, knowledge and language (within families, among friends, and in the fabric of the wider culture) will also shape individual assessments of one's own body and any deviations in its functioning [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

More than blood: app-tracking reveals variability in heavy menstrual bleeding construct

Shea¹,

Wever

Ventola³

et al. 2023

BMC Women's Health

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Background Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is associated with impaired quality of life and may signal serious health problems. Unresolved challenges in measuring menstrual bleeding and identifying HMB have hampered research and clinical care. Self-reported bleeding histories are commonly used but these may be influenced by recall bias, personal beliefs regarding “normal” flow volume, and the experience of other physical symptoms or disruptions to daily life. The potential usefulness of menstrual-tracking mobile applications, which allow real-time user-entered data recording, for assessing HMB has not been studied. We evaluated recall bias in reported period duration, the relationship of tracked period duration and daily flow volume to subsequently reported period heaviness, variation in quality of life associated with increasing period heaviness, and the advantages and limitations of using app-tracked data for clinical and research purposes. Methods An online questionnaire was distributed to current users of Clue, a commercially available menstrual health tracking app, asking them to characterize their last period. We compared responses to the user’s corresponding Clue app-tracked data. The study sample comprised 6546 U.S.-based users (aged 18–45 years). Results Increasing reported heaviness was associated with increasing app-tracked period length and days of heavy flow, impaired quality-of-life (especially body pain severity), and disrupted activities. Of those reporting having had a heavy/very heavy period, ~ 18% had not tracked any heavy flow, but their period length and quality-of-life indicators were similar to those who had tracked heavy flow. Sexual/romantic activities were the most affected across all flow volumes. Compared to app-tracked data, 44% recalled their exact period length; 83% recalled within ± 1 day. Overestimation was more common than underestimation. However, those with longer app-tracked periods were more likely to underestimate period length by ≥ 2 days, a pattern which could contribute to under-diagnosis of HMB. Conclusion Period heaviness is a complex construct that encapsulates flow volume and, for many, several other bleeding-associated experiences (period length, bodily impairments, disruptions of daily activities). Even very precise flow volume assessments cannot capture the multi-faceted nature of HMB as experienced by the individual. Real-time app-tracking facilitates quick daily recording of several aspects of bleeding-associated experiences. This more reliable and detailed characterization of bleeding patterns and experiences can potentially increase understanding of menstrual bleeding variability and, if needed, help to guide treatment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

More than blood: app-tracking reveals variability in heavy menstrual bleeding construct

Shea¹,

Wever

Ventola³

et al. 2023

BMC Women's Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Murano, 2019). In similar vein, critiques about the ‘normative’ or ‘normal’ body in medicine, global health, biology (Cullin et al., 2021) as well as about the very act of measuring the body (Canguilheim, 2012; Mol, 1998) mirror critiques of the normativity of height standards (Hruschka, 2021; Morrison, 2019).…”

Section: The Relationship Of Height/tallness and Body Size/bignessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond ‘heightism’ and ‘height premium’: An anthropology and sociology of human stature

Lasco

2023

Sociology Compass

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This review article examines the meanings and materialities of human stature, from serving as a marker of human difference to shaping the socio‐spatial experiences of individuals. I introduce existing perspectives on height from various disciplines, including biomedical discourses on the factors (e.g. nutrition, genetics) that determine height, economic discourses on how the average heights of populations have changed over time, sociobiological and psychological discourses that assume a pre‐cultural, evolutionary “height premium”, and popular discourses on heightism and height discrimination. Drawing from a diverse range of scholarship since Saul Feldman called for a “sociology of stature” in the 1970s, I then present ways in which height and height differences have figured in various domains of human experience, from employment and education to sports and social relationships. Finally, I survey people's attempts to become taller or shorter, and the implicit values that inform such height‐making practices. What these figurations and practices show, I argue, is that height intersects with notions of race, class, gender, and beauty – but is irreducible to any of them, and is thus best viewed as a distinct, embodied form of distinction, difference, and inequality. I conclude by proposing a research agenda for future work.

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“…As demonstrated in this issue, predefined ecological characteristics (e.g., altitude of 2500 m above sea level, or core temperature below 32°C) do not fully represent what creates an extreme or extraordinary environment. Additionally, we want to account for the deep‐rooted colonial, heteronormative, and other hegemonic perspectives that often underlie our understanding of what is “ordinary” and “normal,” as recently discussed in the special issue of the American Journal of Human Biology , Challenges to Normative Assumptions in the Study of Human Biology and Behavior: Alternative Paths Forward (see Cullin et al, 2021; Wiley, 2021). In the present issue, we showcase conditions in which significant external pressures shape individuals and populations, whether that pressure be ecological (e.g., hypoxia) or derived from interconnected socio‐cultural and economic contexts (e.g., persistent violence).…”

Section: Defining the “Extreme Environment”mentioning

confidence: 99%

The now and future of human biology at the extremes: An introduction to the special issue

Niclou,

Sarma

2023

American J Hum Biol

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ObjectivesA hallmark of the human species is our adaptability to a wide range of different ecologies and ecosystems, including some of the most extreme settings. Human biologists have long studied how humans have successfully (and sometimes unsuccessfully) adapted to such extremes, particularly ecological extremes like environments at lower limits of temperature and high altitude. In this special issue, we revisit traditional definitions and explore new conceptions of work in extreme environments. We argue that our definitions of extremes should change with our changing world, and account for extremes unique to the Anthropocene, including environments of inequality and precarity, pandemic landscapes, climate‐impacted settings, obesogenic environments, and the environments of human spaceflight. We also explore the future of work at the extremes and provide some suggested guidelines on how human biologists can continue to build and expand on foundational work in this area.ConclusionWhile human biologists have done critical work on groups living in extreme environments, our definitions of humans at the limits continue to change as the world around us also changes. Scholars in this area have a responsibility to re‐examine the parameters of extremes to stay at the forefront of scientific exploration and collaboration so human biology, as a discipline, can continue to shape our understanding of adaptability, and thus contribute to the continued thriving of all humans as we endure new climatic, environmental, and societal extremes.

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Mind the gap: Contesting normal/abnormal constructs of human biology and behaviors

Cited by 10 publications

References 20 publications

More than blood: app-tracking reveals variability in heavy menstrual bleeding construct

More than blood: app-tracking reveals variability in heavy menstrual bleeding construct

Beyond ‘heightism’ and ‘height premium’: An anthropology and sociology of human stature

The now and future of human biology at the extremes: An introduction to the special issue

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