Social System Effects on Local Level Morbidity and Adaptation in the Rural Peruvian Andes

Abstract

In this article I argue for the desirability of linking data, methods, and theoretical perspectives from sociocultural and biological anthropology, and provide methodological examples for conducting this type of research. I specifically examine the utility of the adaptation paradigm for understanding the health consequences of rural Peruvian social relations. Long‐term historical trends in the Nuñoa District in the rural Peruvian highlands reveal that large‐scale political‐economic and other social forces helped shape a local social structure that creates ongoing adverse living conditions for many segments of the population. Biological manifestations of social stressors are seen in the form of high mortality and poor child growth, especially among economically marginalized populations. Analysis of household morbidity and social characteristics demonstrates strong links between health status and factors such as informal interhousehold social support networks, education, and family demographic composition.