ArticleAmerican journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council
Physical activity in an indigenous Ecuadorian forager-horticulturalist population as measured using accelerometry.
Article in American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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16 citing papers in PubMed, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Shuar Health and Life History Project: Overview at 20 Years and Introduction to the Special Issue.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2026Article
- Patterns of physical activity in hunter-gatherer children compared with US and UK children.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Physical Activity and Pregnancy Norms Among Daasanach Semi-Nomadic Pastoralist Women in Northern Kenya.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2025Article
- BaYaka mothers balance childcare and subsistence tasks during collaborative foraging in Congo Basin.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Data Analytics in Physical Activity Studies With Accelerometers: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Lifestyle and patterns of physical activity in Hadza foragers.American journal of biological anthropology · 2023Article
- Impact of energy availability and physical activity on variation in fertility across human populations.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2023Review
- Let's Play at Digging : How Vigorous Is This Energetic Task for a Young Forager?Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.) · 2022Article
- Lifestyle interventions for the prevention and treatment of hypertension.Nature reviews. Cardiology · 2021Review
- Pathogen disgust sensitivity protects against infection in a high pathogen environment.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2021Article
- Ageing and physical function in East African foragers and pastoralists.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2020Article
- Levels of Physical Activity in the Adult Population of La Guajira, Colombia: A Focus on Ethnicity.Frontiers in public health · 2020Article
- Physical activity and time budgets of Hadza forager children: Implications for self-provisioning and the ontogeny of the sexual division of labor.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2019Article
- Age-independent increases in male salivary testosterone during horticultural activity among Tsimane forager-farmers.Evolution and human behavior : official journal of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society · 2013Article
- Article
- Patterns of senescence in human cardiovascular fitness: VO2 max in subsistence and industrialized populations.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology CouncilArticle
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveMinimal information on physical activity is available for non-Western populations undergoing the transition to a market economy. This is unfortunate given the importance of these data for understanding health issues such as the global obesity epidemic. We consider the utility of using accelerometry technology to examine activity patterns and energy use regulation among indigenous Shuar, an Ecuadorian forager-horticulturalist population undergoing economic and lifestyle change. We investigate sex differences in Shuar activity patterns and the effects of reproductive status on activity. Finally, we discuss the potential of accelerometry use in human biology research.
methodsPhysical activity levels were measured using Actical accelerometers in 49 indigenous Shuar adults (23 males, 26 females) from a rural Ecuadorian community. Female participants were in various reproductive states including pregnant, lactating, and nonpregnant/nonlactating.
resultsActivity counts (AC), activity energy expenditure (AEE), and physical activity levels (PAL) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in males than females. Significant differences in energy expenditure were found among pregnant or lactating females and males with pregnant or lactating partners (P < 0.001). Males with pregnant or lactating partners also had significantly higher activity levels than did other men (P < 0.01).
conclusionsShuar activity levels are relatively low compared to other non-Western populations. Despite increasing market integration, pregnant and lactating females seem to be adopting a strategy noted in other subsistence populations where male participation in subsistence activities increases to compensate for their partners' elevated reproductive costs. Despite certain limitations, use of accelerometry in human biology research shows promise.
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