Title
Water insecurity, self-reported physical health, and objective measures of biological health in the Peruvian Amazon
Date Issued
01 January 2022
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Publisher(s)
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Wiley-Blackwell
Abstract
Objectives: This study examines the associations between water insecurity, self-reported physical health, and objective measures of biological health among 225 Awajún adults (107 women; 118 men) living in the Peruvian Amazon, a “water-abundant” region. Methods: A survey, which included multiple measures of self-reported physical health, and objective measures of biological health such as blood pressure and nutritional and immune biomarkers. Results: Greater water insecurity was associated with multiple measures of self-reported physical health, including higher incidence of reported diarrhea, nausea, back pain, headaches, chest pain, fatigue, dizziness, overall poor perceived health, and “being sick.” These symptoms align with the physical strain associated with water acquisition and with drinking contaminated water. A significant association between higher water insecurity and lower systolic blood pressure emerged, which may be linked to dehydration. None of the other biomarkers, including those for nutrition, infection, and stress were significantly associated with water insecurity scores. Conclusions: These analyses add to the growing body of research examining the associations between water insecurity and health. Biocultural anthropologists are well-positioned to continue probing these connections. Future research will investigate relationships between measures of water insecurity and biomarkers for gastrointestinal infection and inflammation in water-scarce and water-abundant contexts.
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Oceanografía, Hidrología, Recursos hídricos
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85138710815
Source
American Journal of Human Biology
ISSN of the container
1042-0533
Sponsor(s)
This research was funded by a Wenner–Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant (P0023308-60033657). Special thanks go to the participating communities; the Peruvian Ministry of the Environment; the Organización Regional de los Pueblos de las Comunidades Indıgenas de la Amazonía Peruana Norte (ORPIAN); Giuliana Sanchez, who aided in the collection of the data and Edilberto Kinin and Armando Valdés-Velásquez, who made the fieldwork possible.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus