Colombian Ethnic Groups Research Articles

Goiter, iodine bioavailability and intrauterine growth restriction in Indigenous and Afro-descendant pregnant women from six non-metropolitan areas of Colombia (2019-2020).

Iodine is an essential mineral for fetal growth and brain development. The aim of this research was to evaluate goiter, iodine deficiency and intrauterine growth restriction in pregnant women of minority ethnic groups in Colombia. A cross-sectional study was performed in six non-metropolitan areas of Colombia. A total of 318 Indigenous and Afro-descendant pregnant women were invited to participate: 248 (83.2%) Indigenous and 50 (16.8%) Afro-descendants were studied. The mean age was 24 years (range 13-44 years). Of the women, 130 (43.5%) were from the department of Cauca, 72 (24.1%) were from C&oacute;rdoba, 28 (9.4%) were from Guajira, 26 (8.8%) were from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, 22 (7.4%) were from Amazonas, 16 (5.4%) were from Meta and 4 (1.3%) were from the department of Cesar. A total of 244 (81.8%) were illiterate and 291 (97.7%) were of very low socioeconomic level. Goiter was observed in 69 (23.3%) pregnant women (38 (41.7%) from the department of Cauca, 10 (35.7%) from Guajira, 5 (31.2%) from Meta, 6 (27.2%) from Amazonas and 10 (13.8%) from C&oacute;rdoba). Iodine deficiency (<100 &micro;g/L) was observed in 42 (14.9%) pregnant women (16 (11.6%) mild (50-99 &micro;g/L), 19 (13.8%) moderate (20-49 &micro;g/L) and 7 (5.1%) severe (<20 &micro;g/L)). Being literate was a protective factor for iodine deficiency (odds ratio (OR)=0.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04-0.84, p=0.016). Being illiterate and iodine deficient was only a risk factor for goiter (OR=6.72, 95%CI 3.9-9.5, p=0.038) in the department of Cauca. A high prevalence of goiter, iodine deficiency and intrauterine growth restriction was observed in minority ethnic groups of Colombia. The highest prevalence and risk was observed in the department of Cauca.

An education to colonise. The educational discrimination of indigenous people in colonial settings: lessons from Colombia and Mozambique

This paper analyses the processes through which racially exclusionary policies lead to lower educational outcomes for indigenous population groups in racialised and colonial settings. Focusing on Colombia and Mozambique, we show that for much of the 20th century indigenous people were unable to access the same schooling as the non-indigenous population. Most indigenous children did not advance beyond very low-quality forms of education in schools run by Catholic missions. This, together with much lower public investments in the education of indigenous peoples, put indigenous children at a comparative disadvantage for the accumulation of human capital. We show this by constructing new estimates of literacy and primary education completion rates for the different ethnic groups in Colombia and Mozambique over the 20th century. In accordance with our argument, we find systematic differences in the accumulation of human capital for the indigenous and non-indigenous populations respectively.

Occlusal Polygon Area of the Molars in Six Colombian Ethnic Groups

Occlusal Polygon Area of the Molars in Six Colombian Ethnic Groups

Biblioteca EPM, espacio de educación para la comunidad indígena emberá katío, Colombia

The Embera indigenous community is one of the most important ethnic groups in Colombia. This has suffered a high violation of their human rights by the permanent bombings and confrontations carried out in their territories. Due to this situation, several families of the Embera Katio ethnic group have moved through the Colombian territory, and one of the places of settlement has been the Comuna 10, better known by the name of La Candelaria, of the municipality of Medellin, in Colombia. Therefore, the EPM Library, located throughout the city center, has become a protection space and a point of reference in strengthening the training scenarios for boys and girls Embera Katio, through workshops and art activities which include the playful and cultural aspect. This article analyzes the interviews conducted with public employees, professionals and technologists of the EPM Library, who highlight the needs of this minority group; also, the need to rescue, sustain and transmit the linguistic, ancestral and artistic knowledge of that ethnic community is emphasized.

Una revisión crítica del concepto de etnoeducación. Caminando hacia la educación propia desde las prácticas corporales en las comunidades indígenas

El presente ensayo pretende mostrar cómo el modelo de etnoeducación que ha sido implementado entre los diversos grupos étnicos del país ha implicado una educación intercultural que no ha logrado recoger el total de su diversidad étnica. Hacer un acercamiento a las prácticas corporales de los grupos étnicos ha permitido la construcción de categorías como etnocorporalidad y etnomotricidad que se convierten en ejes fundamentales para pensar la educación desde las comunidades, donde el concepto de educación propia adquiere gran relevancia para la preservación del patrimonio cultural de las etnias en Colombia.

Deciduous Dental Morphological Diversity in Contemporary Colombian Ethnic Groups

Biocultural diversity of contemporarySouth American populations has not been studiedextensively, therefore delineating some of the patterns ofphenotypic variation may be useful for understandingtheir ongoing evolution. Thirty-seven deciduous dentalnonmetric traits were scored on 200 dental casts thatwere obtained from four contemporary Colombianethnic groups with different ancestry. Inter-group affinitieswere assessed by means of a principal componentanalysis based on trait frequencies. African-AmericanColombian groups share several dental morphologicalaffinities with other New World African derived populationsas well as with Sub-Saharan African dental samples.Colombian Amerindians have a relative affinity withprehistoric Native North American samples, but a clearassociation with living North American Indians andrecent Northeast Asian Sinodont populations was notevident. The biologically admixed group or “Mestizo”has a more complicated pattern of phenotypic relationships,with an African and an Amerindian but not anevident European component. From an evolutionarypoint of view, gene flow probably is the most importantfactor that changed the original gene pool through time.These groups have a complex landscape of bioculturalvariation reflected by their different microevolutionaryhistories.

Espacios de participación ciudadana en la construcción de planes de desarrollo en territorios étnicos: caso departamento del chocó

A partir de la entrada en vigencia de la Constitución del 91, Colombia redefinió sus valores constitucionales, consagrando la participación ciudadana, la planeación del desarrollo y la multiculturalidad como principios fundamentales de la Nación, transformando el sistema político imperante a la fecha y avanzando en la construcción de un modelo de Estado donde la ciudadanía, las regiones y las minorías juegan un papel fundamental en la definición del destino colectivo. El objetivo principal de este trabajo es analizar los espacios que existen en la legislación colombiana que posibilitan la participación ciudadana de los grupos étnicos en la construcción de planes de desarrollo en los territorios habitados por ellos, haciendo especial énfasis en el caso del departamento del Chocó. Se revisa el papel de la planeación para el desarrollo en Colombia, se estudian los espacios y mecanismos de participación ciudadana en la gestión pública y especialmente, los que permiten la participación en la formulación y construcción de Planes de Desarrollo, se describe la situación de los territorios y grupos étnicos en Colombia y Chocó específicamente y se analizan los derechos que tienen estos sobre sus territorios. Lo anterior para evidenciar, que estos deben ser consultados previamente en el proceso de construcción y adopción de los Planes de Desarrollo.

Manifestaciones menopaúsicas y calidad de vida en afrocolombianas. Valoración con escala Cervantes

Introduction: the menopausal manifestations should be studied by ethnic considerations. Objective: to identify the most prevalent menopausal manifestations and to evaluate quality of life according to menstrual states. Methods: this study is a part of CAVIMEC [Quality of Life in Menopause and Colombian Ethnic Groups], performed with Cervantes Scale, which evaluates CV in menopause, in 646 Afro-Colombians, aged 40-59 years, living in populations of the Caribbean and Pacific. Results: mean age 48.7±5.7 years, 69.1% with obesity/overweight, 22.7% with university/technological studies and 40.5% postmenopausal. The most prevalent manifestations: hot flashes 76.4%; suffocation 73.1%; Muscle/joint pain 71.3%; they couldn’t sleep 61.8%; easy sweating episode 55.8%; dry skin 50.4% and headache that increased during the day 44.2%. The third part could not be good by the nerves, things like boring, lost the ability to relax or noticed that everyone was spinning 24.4% had less interest in sex and 14.4% had not significant sexuality. Postmenopausal women had worse scores in most of the manifestations and in the domains of health, psychic, sexuality, relationship, vasomotor, health, aging and global. Conclusion: hot flashes, suffocations and muscle/joint pain were the manifestations most prevalent, in seven out of ten. Postmenopausal women had worse quality of life.

Analysis of palatal rugae in young persons to two colombian ethnic groups

Summary&#x0D; Objective: This study analyzes the frequency of palatal rugae on young scholars of two Colombian populations. Besides determines the variability, the sexual dimorphism and the bilateral symmetry of the palatal rugae. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study analyzes palatal rugae through Trobo’s method in 208 dental casts chosen by convenience, 112 of Cali racially mixed population (46 females and 66 males) with ages between the 10 and 18 years old; and 96 of Colombian Amazons natives (53 females and 43 males) with ages between the 5 and 12 years old. Results: The line, wavy and curve palatal rugae features showed high frequency in both sexes and in ethnic groups. The forms angle and circle showed low frequency. Sexual dimorph and bilateral symmetry were not evidenced. Differences between the distribution of the primary and derivatives palatal rugae according to the ethnic group were also not evident. Conclusions: According to the frequency, shape and disposition of primary and derived palatal rugae, they do not evidence sexual dimorphism and bilateral symmetry. Line, sinuous and curve were the most frequent shapes, for primary and derived rugae. There were no identical rugograms between subjects, which conferes to the rugae the characteristic of unique, then rugae can be useful in forensic identification. Key words: Forensic sciences. Forensic dentistry. Dentistry identification. Palatal rugae. Rugoscopy.

La Etnoeducación en comunidades rurales: Caso Escuela San José de Uré, Córdoba, Colombia

En la investigación que dio origen al presente artículo, la complejidad de la etnoeducación es estudiada desde una mirada a la educación rural, las nuevas versiones de la ruralidad, los actores y una institución etnoeducadora ubicada en una localidad del contexto rural del departamento de Córdoba, Colombia, con el objetivo de analizar las realidades que subyacen en la implementación de la educación diferencial a la que tienen derecho los pueblos étnicos colombianos en el contexto de una educación hegemónica representada por la educación rural y la Escuela Nueva, en el caso de la institución educativa “San José de Uré”. Se trata de un estudio de caso con enfoque etnográfico, conducido en la Institución Educativa mencionada, a través del cual se muestran las dinámicas de una institución etnoeducadora donde convergen las realidades de lo étnico-afro y lo rural. Como consecuencia de esta complejidad, se encontraron durante el estudio algunos desafíos epistemológicos y una serie de interrogantes que muestran la incongruencia de la educación rural con la etnoeducación. Bajo ese prisma se registra la semblanza de algunas problemáticas que hacen complejos estos procesos y finalmente se plasman algunas reflexiones a modo de corolario.

Ethnicity and Health in Colombia: What Do Self-Perceived Health Indicators Tell Us?

To compare self-perceived health indicators between ethnic groups in Colombia. Cross-sectional study with data from the 2007 National Public Health Survey (ENSP-2007). Data from 57,617 people ≥18 years were used. Variables included: belonging to an ethnic group (exposure); self-rated health; mental health problems, injuries for accidents/violence (outcomes); sex, age, education level and occupation (explicative/control). A descriptive study was carried out of the explicative variables, and the prevalence of the outcomes was calculated according to ethnicity, education level and occupation. The association between the exposure variable and the outcomes was estimated by means of adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% CI using logistic regression. Analyses were conducted separately for men and women. The prevalence of outcomes was higher in people reporting to belong to an ethnic group and differences were found by sex, ethnic groups and health outcomes. Women from the Palenquero group were more likely to report poor self-rated health (aOR 7.04; 95%CI 2.50-19.88) and injuries from accidents/violence (aOR 7.99; 95%CI 2.89-22.07). Indigenous men were more likely to report mental health problems (aOR 1.75; 95%CI 1.41-2.17). Gradients according to ethnicity, education, occupation and sex were found. Minority ethnic groups are vulnerable to reporting poor health outcomes. Political actions are required to diminish health inequalities in these groups.

Prevalence, risk behaviours, and HIV knowledge in an Indigenous community in Colombia

There are 87 Indigenous ethnic groups in Colombia, representing 3.4% of the country’s population. Poverty, forced displacement, and social and health inequities place Indigenous communities at increased risk of HIV/AIDS. However, little is known about the prevalence of HIV in this population. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in an Indigenous community in Colombia, and to assess community members’ knowledge about the disease and its risk factors. The study, conducted in 2010, was initiated at the request of the leadership of the community of Cristianía and involved community members in all stages of the project. HIV prevalence data were gathered through rapid testing of a random sample of 295 community members between the ages of 15 and 49 years. As well, researchers administered a survey related to sexual behaviours and knowledge about HIV. Findings revealed 3 cases of HIV, a prevalence of 1.02%, 95% CI [0.21, 2.94]. The 3 cases were women. The majority of individuals sampled had heard of HIV or AIDS, but their level of knowledge about the mechanisms of virus transmission varied substantially. The results of this study, the first to explore the prevalence of HIV among Indigenous people within a community in Colombia, suggest a need to investigate HIV prevalence within other Indigenous communities in Colombia.

Dental Arch Size, Biting Force, Bizygomatic Width and Face Height in Three Colombian Ethnic Groups

El objetivo fue describir las dimensiones transversales de los arcos dentales, la fuerza de mordida y el indice facial en tres grupos etnicos de Colombia. El tamano de la muestra fue de 197 adolescentes, de 12 a 14 anos; 33% mestizos, 35% de ascendencia africana y 32% indio amazonico; 50,3% hombres y 49,7% mujeres. El analisis comparativo para determinar las diferencias entre los grupos etnicos se hizo mediante la prueba de Kruskal Wallis y luego el Componente Principal de Analisis se utilizo para establecer el patron de las mediciones para identificar las caracteristicas etnicas. Todas las mediciones mostraron diferencias estadisticamente significativas entre los grupos etnicos, excepto la altura facial (p=0,157). Se evidencia que el indio amazonico tiene una mayor fuerza de mordida (p<0,05) que los otros dos grupos etnicos. En cuanto a las dimensiones transversales del arco dental, el indio amazonico se caracterizo por tener un mayor ancho, con una longitud media de 44,1 mm. Esta longitud es mayor que en los adolescentes mestizos (M=36,7 mm) y afroamericanos (M=38,3 mm). En conclusion, la etnia india amazonica Ticuna tiene una fuerza de mordida significativamente mayor, asi como mayor ancho del arco dental transversal y ancho bicigomatico que los otros dos grupos etnicos considerados.

Ethnicity and Self-Perceived Oral Health in Colombia: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

To estimate the association between self-perceived oral health indicators and ethnic origin in Colombia, a cross-sectional study (Information from the 2007 National Public Health Survey) was conducted. belonging to an ethnic group (Exposure); oral health indicators (Outcomes); sex, age, education and self-rated health (control). Analyses were carried out separately for men (M) and women (W). The association between the exposure variable and the outcomes was estimated by means of adjusted odds ratio (OR) with confidence intervals (95% CI) using logistic regression. Men were more likely to report gum bleeding (aOR 1.78; 95% CI 1.44-2.23) and dental caries (aOR 1.69; 95% CI 1.42-2.02), while women were more likely to report unmet dental needs (aOR 1.43; 95% CI 1.27-1.49) and dental caries (aOR 1.34; 95% CI 1.22-1.47). Indigenous and Palenquero were more likely to report most of the indicators analyzed. Minority ethnic groups in Colombia were at risk to report oral health problems.

Preliminary bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) equation for body composition assessment in young females from Colombia

A previous study showed that reported BIA equations for body composition are not suitable for Colombian population. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a preliminary BIA equation for body composition assessment in young females from Colombia, using hydrodensitometry as reference method. A sample of 30 young females was evaluated. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined to minimize the variability of BIA. Height, weight, BIA, residual lung volume (RV) and underwater weight (UWW) were measured. A preliminary BIA equation was developed (r2 = 0.72, SEE = 2.48 kg) by stepwise multiple regression with fat-free mass (FFM) as dependent variable and weight, height and impedance measurements as independent variables. The quality of regression was evaluated and a cross-validation against 50% of sample confirmed that results obtained with the preliminary BIA equation is interchangeable with results obtained with hydrodensitometry (r2 = 0.84, SEE = 2.62 kg). The preliminary BIA equation can be used for body composition assessment in young females from Colombia until a definitive equation is developed. The next step will be increasing the sample, including a second reference method, as deuterium oxide dilution (D2O), and using multi-frequency BIA (MF-BIA). It would also be desirable to develop equations for males and other ethnic groups in Colombia.

Analysis of Dental Arch Dimensions in Three Colombian Ethnic Groups

El proposito de este estudio fue comparar las dimensiones transversal y anteroposterior del arco dental en tres grupos etnicos de Colombia. Se utilizo un calibrador digital para tomar 16 medidas transversales y dos sagitales, 9 maxilares y 9 mandibulares. La medida sagital para determinar la longitud del arco se elaboro a partir de una linea trazada desde mesial primera molar derecho permanente al primer molar izquierdo permanente, y una linea perpendicular desde el punto de contacto entre los incisivos centrales, tanto para el maxilar y mandibula. Las dimensiones del arco dental maxilar en los tres grupos etnicos mostraron diferencias en la distancia intercanina, asi como entre premolares y molares. Las mismas diferencias se encontraron en la mandibula. Las poblaciones evaluadas presentan caracteristicas distintivas en las dimensiones del arco dental, por lo que la poblacion mestiza tuvo arcos estrechos, mientras que los nativos tuvieron arcos anchos.

Prevalencia de insomnio y deterioro de la calidad de vida en posmenopáusicas que presentan oleadas de calor residentes en el Caribe Colombiano

Objetivo: comparar la prevalencia subjetiva de insomnio y del deterioro severo de la calidad de vida en un grupo de mujeres posmenopáusicas que presentan oleadas de calor, con la obtenida en otro grupo con ausencia de las mismas.Materiales y métodos: estudio transversal en 589 mujeres posmenopáusicas, 40-59 años de edad, que hacen parte del estudio Calidad de vida en la menopausia y etnias colombianas (Cavimec). Se compararon mujeres que referían oleadas de calor con otras que no tenían dicha sintomatología. Para evaluar la calidad de vida se utilizó la Menopause Rating Scale, y para el insomnio la Athens Insomnia Scale.Resultados: el 49,2% (290/589) de las mujeres manifestaron experimentar oleadas de calor y la prevalencia de insomnio para todo el grupo fue del 34,8% (IC 95%: 31,0-38,8%). En el grupo de mujeres menopáusicas con oleadas de calor la prevalencia de insomnio fue del 45,5% (IC 95%: 37,9-51,4%) mientras en el grupos sin oleadas de calor fue del 24,4% (IC 95%: 19,7-29,7%). Las oleadas de calor aumentan 2,07 veces el riesgo de insomnio. La prevalencia de deterioro severo de la calidad de vida fue del 17,2% (IC 95%: 13,1-22,1%) en las mujeres con oleadas de calor y del 1,7% (IC 95%: 0,5-3,9%) en las mujeres sin oleadas de calor.Conclusiones: fue más prevalente el insomnio y el deterioro severo de la calidad de vida en mujeres con oleadas de calor, que entre aquellas libres de dicha manifestación.

La etnoeducación bilingüe: norma y términos constitucionales y desafío para las etnias

Los grupos indígenas de Colombia lograron ser reconocidos como grupos con cultura y lengua propia por parte del Estado a través de la Constitución Política de Colombia de 1991. Esta carta magna contiene un conjunto de normas que hacen referencia a la presencia de grupos étnicos en el territorio nacional, la existencia de una diversidad lingüística, la educación étnica y bilingüe, la responsabilidad del Estado frente a la vivencia de la cultura y la garantía de la educación para estos grupos, entre otros que la apoyan. Este logro fue producto de la lucha que estás etnias llevaron a cabo durante las últimas décadas. No obstante, la norma constitucional no refleja la realidad étnica y lingüística del país lo cual dificulta el emprendimiento de acciones que permitan el goce de los derechos étnicos. Pese a que la norma constitucional resulte incompleta, los grupos étnicos deben reclamar su derecho a la educación étnica y bilingüe, ya que se trata de un logro alcanzado por las etnias, aunque ello no quiera decir que la lucha por la exigencia de sus derechos se detenga. En este sentido, las etnias deben asumir el reto de la etnoeducación bilingüe respondiendo a su proyecto socio-histórico y su derecho constitucional para emprenderla.

Growing up in a Violent Society: Longitudinal Predictors of Violence in Colombian Adolescents

Although violence and homicide are more prevalent in Colombia, South America than the US, the role of psychosocial factors in the violent behavior of Colombian adolescents remains unclear. The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine the interrelation of domains of personality, familial, peer, and ecological variables associated with violence in a community sample of adolescents from various self-reported ethnic groups in Colombia. The sample consisted of 1,151 male adolescents selected from three Colombian cities. The participants were surveyed using structured interviews at two points in time over a 2-year interval. Data were collected concerning adolescent personal attributes, family characteristics, peer, and ecological factors, including drug availability and the prevalence of violence in the community. The dependent variable was the self-reported frequency of the adolescent's violent behavior. The results supported a model in which violent behavior was correlated independently over time with a number of risk factors from several domains. Evidence for the hypothesized mediated effects of the familial monitoring and bonding domain, the peer domain, the ecological domain, and prior victimization related to personal attributes and contemporaneous violence and the adolescent's violent behavior 2 years later was also found. The findings suggest the use of specific intervention procedures with adolescents to prevent their subsequent violent behavior.

The global and the local in the construction of social representations in the media; urban and rural children in different ethnic groups in Colombia

What fantasies are stimulated in young minds by famous singers and bands? How do you explain the fact that top models such as Claudia Schiffer and popstars like Michael Jackson have been recognised not only by Colombian middle and upper class children, but also by indigenous and black kids who have never ventured outside their isolated villages? What are the consequences on children's minds of the different types of violence they encounter in their everyday lives and to which they are exposed in their daily consumption of commercial TV? Why do urban children in Colombia never talk about indigenous Colombians and Afro Colombians? What opinions do kids have about news items such as September 11 or the deaths of children caught in the crossfire of conflict? In what ways do the images of popstars, the mothers of young soldiers who have been kidnapped by the guerrilla or the report on a recent street demonstration merge with the daily life of children in Colombia and shape their ideas and images about society?