Cultural Anthropology

The first road to be built into Humla, Nepal has connected this once-remote Himalayan region to a market in China. This dissertation research assesses the impacts of this road on villagers’ food security, diet and nutrition, and subjective well-being, and investigates the link between objective and subjective health outcomes. The primary aim of this study is to decipher whether villagers’ ‘proximity to road’ is the strongest predictor of the aforementioned health outcomes, or whether other sociocultural and economic variables play a more significant role. A mixed- methods approach and a case-control ethnographic research design were implemented in order to investigate this question.
Results from the food security questionnaire indicate that due to easy accessibility and low costs, villagers now supplement their agricultural yields with enriched, processed foods obtained via the road. Although villagers perceive their current food security as being significantly higher than in years past, results indicate that food security levels do not always positively correlate with either ‘proximity to road’ or the harvest season. Nutrient composition analysis indicates that differences in both livelihood tasks and prestige ascription by gender and age yield a high variability in both dietary patterns and nutritional outcomes. These differences are also reflected in the anthropometric data, which show that while a portion of the study population is ‘underweight’, another portion is simultaneously ‘overweight’. Villagers’ subjective well-being, in addition to being defined differently from village to village, has a higher correlation with human capital levels and socioeconomic status than with ‘proximity to road’.
This research illuminates the complexity involved with determining whether the introduction of a road will manifest in positive health outcomes.
Using the new road in Humla District, Nepal, a case study, this research takes advantage of a unique opportunity to study human dietary shifts as they are in the process of occurring. By assessing villagers’ decision-making patterns regarding their food consumption, the overall aim of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of the dietary sea change that is leaving its mark on the quality of life across the
globe.

Nutritional anthropology is the study of food and nutrition from evolutionary, behavioral and socio-cultural perspectives, and how these interact in the production of nutritional health at both the micro and macro level. The consumption of food is fundamental to the study of anthropology for two reasons: first, the nutritional characteristics of the human diet have a monumental impact on the development and health of individuals, and second, numerous elements of culture are expressed in the way food is acquired and prepared, with food consumption being largely a social activity.

The United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016–2025 and
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development call on all countries and
stakeholders to work together to prevent all forms of malnutrition by
2030. In Nepal, these considerations are at the forefront of the
country’s Sustainable Development Goals. To aid in this effort,
this article presents a case study from the mountainous Humla
District, Nepal, that was designed to better understand how the
arrival of the first road in this area is affecting food security and
nutritional status, and how these 2 variables are interrelated.
Data from participant observation, interviews, the Household
Food Insecurity Access Scale questionnaire, and a region-specific food frequency questionnaire suggest that while the
road provides more reliable access to market-sourced food than
before, villagers’ intake of many micronutrients remains below
recommended levels, as most of the market-purchased foods
are nutrient poor. Data also suggest that this population is
experiencing the double burden of malnutrition: simultaneous
cases of underweight and overweight. High food security levels
among those in the malnourished/overweight group could
easily mask this emerging public health concern. This study
provides an analytical framework to better understand the
nexus of food security and nutrition, and offers evidence-based
recommendations for decreasing food insecurity and
malnutrition in mountainous regions, which will help achieve the
goal of preventing all forms of malnutrition by 2030.

Although the first road to ever be built into Humla, Nepal is still under construction, it has already spurred numerous sociocultural and economic changes, including an increased integration into the market economy, changing access to market-purchased foods, and new kinds of health-seeking behavior. This paper is part of a larger research project where we examined changing health and nutrition outcomes co-synchronous with the arrival of this road. In this paper, we focus on whether and how the road is affecting villagers’ subjective well-being (SWB). We studied this while living and working with people from two Humli villages, one that is on the road, and one that is far from it. In these villages, we developed two local models of SWB, using the villagers’ own conceptual frameworks and sense of the factors that play a role in wellbeing. Our analyses showed that villagers’ conceptualization of SWB varied substantially according to road proximity. Additionally, we quantified indices from villagers’ SWB assessments and tested which variables were significant determinants of wellbeing. We discovered a significant relationship between an individual’s well-being level and two variables: available resources per household and levels of social support. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to better understand how villagers from Upper Humla define SWB, to identify which subset of the population is not benefitting in terms of their SWB from the new road, and to present a mixed-methods, anthropologically-based approach for the development of a locally meaningful measure of SWB.

Background: The recent rise of the double burden of malnutrition (i.e., the coexistence of underweight and overweight) in the Philippines presents a significant challenge to achieving numerous agreed-upon Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To combat the rising trends of both forms of malnutrition, this research assesses whether there are positive nutrition-related impacts from participation in a microlending program, and also seeks to determine whether microlending participants would be receptive to receiving nutrition promotion education as a component of the microlending model. If so, then microlending could serve as an effective information dissemination platform to increase the likelihood that participants will make nutritious food choices as they acquire more disposable income, thereby keeping both malnutrition rates and the subsequent risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at bay.

Methods: Ethnographic fieldwork in 15 distinct urban neighborhoods in Manila, Philippines was conducted between May and August 2017. 24-h diet recalls and semi-structured interviews were utilized (N = 93) to determine whether and how participants’ food procurement decisions and macro- and micronutrient intake shifted throughout their participation in a microlending program.

Results: Interview data illustrate that participants’ food procurement options and their sense of self-worth and empowerment increased the longer they were involved in the microlending program. However, the nutritional outcomes are more nuanced; while participants who had been in the program longer showed higher levels of micronutrient intake, they also consumed elevated levels of prestige items high in sugar and/or salt. Given that participants reported high levels of uncertainty surrounding nutritional information, more education is needed to reverse this trend and decrease the risk of malnutrition development and the associated adverse health outcomes.

Conclusions: Microlending platforms may be a viable avenue for disseminating nutrition-related information. However, our data indicate that participants may only be receptive to this information after at least two years of participation because, prior to that, participants are too concerned with income generation, housing stability and their family’s education to fully absorb the information.

Alcohol use remains a prominent feature of American collegiate social life. Emerging technological developments, particularly the proliferation of mobile phone cameras and the easy sharing of digital images on social network sites (SNS), are now widely integrated into these drinking practices. This paper presents an exploratory study examining how 40 students on a midsized college campus in the interior Pacific Northwest incorporate these technologies into their drinking activities. Data from semistructured interviews are considered within the theoretical framework of "affordances," which classifies material technologies (camera phones, SNS) as simultaneously inhabiting the role of artifact shaped by human action and of object that influences human conduct. Our data suggest that although contemporary college drinking reflects long-standing practices, cameras, digital images, and social media introduce new dimensions to college alcohol consumption and memory-making processes. These technologies are used to chronicle and archive the festive, social aspects of drinking; commemorate the good times that make up the college experience; and capture proud or incautious displays of excessive drinking. Our examination of emergent college drinking practices seeks to extend understandings of contemporary trends in collegiate alcohol use beyond the discourse of risk and indiscretion to include other important social and cultural dimensions of these phenomena, including pro-social aspects of these practices and the social affordances provided by digital image sharing and reminiscing.

Low-income populations are more likely to experience food and nutrition insecurity and suffer a greater burden of noncommunicable disease than the general population. The UnProcessed Pantry Project (UP3) is an intervention aimed to reduce ultra-processed food availability and consumption of food pantry clients accessing the emergency food system. The pilot study included nutrition education, food boxes, and social support for 16 weeks at 2 food pantries. Data collection included the ASA24 dietary recall to calculate Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) scores, biomarkers (hemoglobin A 1c , total cholesterol, blood pressure, waist circumference, body mass index [BMI]), and a demographic and psychosocial survey. Dietary quality among 43 participants significantly (P < .05) improved as measured by the HEI-2015 for total HEI-2015, whole grains, total protein foods, and added sugars scores. BMI, total cholesterol, and waist circumference also significantly improved across study participants. Findings indicate that the emergency food system may be an effective access point to apply frameworks including UP3 to address ultra-processed food consumption, dietary quality, and noncommunicable chronic disease risk among food-insecure populations. Programs and policies that limit the amount of ultra-processed food in the emergency food system should be further tested and could be efficacious in addressing inequities among vulnerable populations.

BACKGROUND A large body of evidence demonstrates the beneficial impacts of strength training on functional fitness, bone density, and muscle mass among older adults (1). Importantly, improvements in musculoskeletal function can delay the onset of disability and dependence (2). Despite the numerous benefits of strength training, particularly for older adults, less than 25% of US adults older than 55 yr meet muscle strengthening guidelines, and rates are lower for those who are female, are older than 65 yr, and/ or live in rural areas (3). These three demographic groups also are more likely to have functional limitations (4,5). Many resistance training studies with older adults use exercise machines. Although these studies easily facilitate resistance progression, they are less accessible for use in rural community settings because of space and cost considerations. Some studies have used basic equipment (e.g., ankle weights, dumbbells) in resistance training with older adults and observed improvements in strength, balance, physical function, bone density, flexibility, and/or body composition (6-18), although two studies found limited or no improvements in strength (19) or bone density (20). Of the studies that used basic equipment with older adults, only six were randomized trials (6,8,9,14, 15,20). In rural communities, the model most feasible for long-term program maintenance is having classes using basic equipment and led by community educators rather than exercise specialists. Of the six randomized trials using basic equipment, five were led by exercise specialists (i.e., physical therapists) or members of the research team (6,8,14,15,20). The community-based StrongPeople Strong Bodies (SPSB) strength training program holds promise to address this gap in research. SPSB was developed based on the body of research on progressive strength training among older adults. The curriculum was designed to support community educators in leading

Little is known about the differences in dietary practices among food secure and food insecure populations during the early COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in dietary practices the early COVID-19 pandemic restrictions between adults reporting food security versus food insecurity. An online cross-sectional survey using validated measures was administered between April and September 2020 to explore both dietary patterns and practices and food security status among persons residing in five U.S. states from different regions of the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between-group differences (food secure versus food insecure) were examined for dietary practice outcomes using Pearson's Chi-Square test statistic, with Fisher's Exact test for cell counts less than five. There were 3,213 adult respondents. Food insecurity increased among the survey sample from 15.9% before the COVID-19 pandemic to 23.1% during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (p < 0.01). Compared to food secure respondents, those experiencing food insecurity reported more group gatherings for meals during the pandemic, decreased fruit and vegetable intake, and a need for more nutrition support resources than food secure respondents (p < 0.05). Food secure individuals reported increasing alcohol consumption, more frequent take-out or delivery ordering from fast food or restaurants, and more interest in supporting the local food system (p < 0.05). Results indicate a clear risk of disparities in dietary practices based on food security status during the early COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Public health research, practice, and policy efforts should tailor specific efforts towards both food secure and food insecure groups.

Introduction: Interventions that modify the built environment can increase population physical activity levels and prevent chronic disease. The national Cooperative Extension System is poised to implement built environment approaches (i.e., pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure and enhanced access to physical activity spaces), but implementation strategies (i.e., methods or techniques to move research to practice) are needed to improve uptake. Effective implementation strategies address relevant barriers and capitalize on facilitators. The purpose of this study was to understand 1) barriers and facilitators to implementing built environment approaches in two state Extension systems, 2) preferences for built environment approaches, and 3) preferences for implementation strategies.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was used to understand Extension personnel's preferences for and barriers and facilitators to built environment approaches through a mixed-methods study design. This work was informed by anthropological inquiry as the overall research philosophy, and by the Health Impact Pyramid, Leeman et al.'s classification of implementation strategies, and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research as the theoretical frameworks. The survey was distributed to eligible Extension personnel (n = 42) in two states. Quantitative data analysis consisted of numbers/proportions and Friedman tests. Qualitative analysis was completed through a rapid deductive approach to quickly produce actionable results.

Results: Fourteen respondents (33%) completed the survey. Most had not implemented physical activity interventions in their communities or had implemented only individual-level interventions, though were interested in implementing built environment approaches. Benches, playground improvements, and crosswalks were the most desired approaches, while facilitation, assessing community strengths and needs, and technical assistance were desired implementation strategies. The most common barriers were relative priority and available resources; facilitators were external policy and incentives and implementation climate.

Discussion: Extension personnel are receptive to built environment approaches and engaged with community coalitions. Yet, invested parties prefer individual-level interventions, and agents perceive a lack of resources for implementation. Implementation strategies that build capacity in both the Extension system and community coalitions may address these barriers through increasing relative priority and sharing existing resources. This work is a first step toward compiling implementation strategies to address relevant barriers to built environment approaches in community settings.

Objective: Agricultural producers face a wide array of stress triggers, shocks, and long-term pressures such as drought, flooding, fire, government policies, financial insecurity, and physical injuries. Extant research has revealed that mental health stigma, lack of access to care in rural areas, and negative coping responses (alcohol abuse, suicide, prescription drugs use) exacerbate the challenge of producer responses to short and long-term adversity. Resilience, the traits, processes, and capacities of producers to adapt and transform their approach to farming or ranching, when necessary, in response to stress triggers or long-term pressures, has received less research attention, particularly in the Western United States. The purpose of the study was to apply an interactionist occupational resilience theoretical perspective to the investigation of contextual factors contributing to resilience in Western United States agricultural producers. Methods: Qualitative interviews (45 to 90 minutes) were conducted with agricultural producers (n=51) from Western states and territories. Applied thematic analysis with a phenomenological lens was utilized to analyze interview transcriptions. First and second level coding were conducted to derive themes. Results: The analysis revealed that resilience is based upon the interactions between traits of producers and the context of agriculture. Four themes were generated (Agricultural Life, External Stressors, Traits and Adaptations, and Supports and Resources), supported by subthemes. The themes and subthemes are depicted in an agricultural producer resiliency model. The findings shed light on the equivocal role of neighbors in providing support for each other and the double- edged sword of co-working with family. Conclusions: The findings underscore that social capital is an important mechanism for supporting farmers and ranchers, as those with stronger social resources are more resilient. We recommend more funding to tailor stress and mental health programming to the specifics of agriculture, integration of behavioral health in primary care as a mechanism to increase access to care, and more intentional technical assistance for farmers and ranchers on strategic planning and problem solving.

IntroductionInterventions that modify the built environment can increase population physical activity levels and prevent chronic disease. The national Cooperative Extension System is poised to implement built environment approaches (i.e., pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure and enhanced access to physical activity spaces), but implementation strategies (i.e., methods or techniques to move research to practice) are needed to improve uptake. Effective implementation strategies address relevant barriers and capitalize on facilitators. The purpose of this study was to understand 1) barriers and facilitators to implementing built environment approaches in two state Extension systems, 2) preferences for built environment approaches, and 3) preferences for implementation strategies.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was used to understand Extension personnel&#39;s preferences for and barriers and facilitators to built environment approaches through a mixed-methods study design. This work...

Agricultural workers-individuals employed for labor in agriculture-are at high risk of various negative health outcomes, with many impacted by both the existence of health disparities and stress. While the issue of farm stress and associated psychosocial health outcomes has been studied in the general agricultural population, research investigating these issues specifically within the agricultural worker population is sparse. This study presents data from the United States Western Region Agricultural Worker Stress Survey (N = 354), which gauged workers' perceived stress levels, sources of stress, desired stress management topics, and preferred methods of receiving information and support services. Long working hours, working in extreme temperatures, and a lack of time emerged as the top three stressors. On average, workers across the Western region of the U.S. are experiencing a moderate level of stress, with younger workers reporting greater stressor pileup than their older counterparts. Retirement planning was cited as the most preferred stress management topic, regardless of demographic. Lastly, workers chose in-person counseling as the support modality that they would most likely utilize. This research provides a variety of stress management recommendations such as working with farm owners to increase the safety of their operation, investing in face-to-face counseling services, and utilizing community health workers as sources of support.

This paper examines the political economy of violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a landscape marked by genocidal campaigns where residents are raped and robbed of cattle and crops, and the extent to which that terror has been abetted by the global market for columbite-tantalite, or coltan. Coltan is a dense silicate ideal for digital technologies, and an estimated 80% of the world's reserves lie in the eastern region of the Congo, where the profitability of its mining to local warlords and the frenetic pace of digital speculation have made both agricultural production and pastoralism untenable. As a result, Congolese have had constantly to improvise production systems in order to survive. This improvisation, easy to gloss over as a survival strategy or adaptation, is in fact performed by creative agents who forge elaborately devised artisanal production systems, at times dangerously against the regimes of local warlords, to meet the insatiable global demand for digital products. Coltan is thus a conductor in a dual sense: of digital capacitors for cell phones or PlayStations, but also of the broader social and political economic processes that underlie the global production of knowledge. Indeed, in both a material and symbolic sense, this ore is a veritable source of information production in the digital age. As such, coltan holds importance for understanding the conflicting and diffuse global role of the digital age, as a source hope and creativity on the one hand; and as an instrument of terror, regimentation, and routinisation on the other.