Native Population Groups Research Articles

Human capital transfer of German‐speaking migrants in eastern Europe, 1780s–1820s

AbstractPrior to the ‘Age of Mass Migration’, Germans left central Europe to settle primarily in modern‐day Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, and Russia. Despite the harsh conditions that the first generation of settlers had to endure, their descendants often fared better, rather than worse, compared to native population groups. This study offers a possible explanation for this surprising outcome. It makes use of data on approximately 11 500 individuals to estimate and compare the basic numeracy scores of German settlers and other population groups in target regions. The findings show that German settlers generally had superior basic numeracy levels, which suggests that these settlers must have contributed positively to the human capital endowment in their target regions. The numeracy of Germans was somewhat higher than the numeracy of Hungarians and substantially higher than that of Russians, Ukrainians, and Serbs. No noteworthy differences are found in terms of numeracy between German emigrants and the population they left behind, which suggests the absence of substantial migrant selection.

Migraciones, deportaciones, colonización y geopolítica durante las guerras dácicas de Trajano (101-106 d.C.)

The Trajanic Dacian Wars (101-106 AD) implied multiple expansionist population movements by all contestants, that affected the development and result of the conflict, conditioning many of the implied powers’ decisions. In the same way, the intensity and scale of a conflagration that spreaded throughout Danubian and Pontic Europe, finished with heavy population losses as a direct and indirect consequence of armed clashes. Finally, the consolidation of Roman power in Dacia after its conquest and its particularities supposed the deportation and intentional displacement of native population groups, migrations to zones free from Roman occupation and other sociopolitical and demographical problems solved by the Roman Empire through a planned colonization and the varied diplomatic agreements signed on 119 AD. In this essay we are going to deal, through literary, epigraphic, numismatic, archaeological and iconographical fonts, with this demographical processes, the actualities derived from them and its consequences in the framework of Trajan’s Dacian Wars, processes that conditioned the region’s geopolitics and, therefore, the future composition of Eastern Europe.

The prevalence of HBsAg subtypes and HBV genotypes in native population groups of Siberia

The prevalence of HBsAg and its subtypes and hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in native population groups of five Siberian regions—the Republic of Altai, Kemerovo oblast, Irkutsk oblast, Yamalo-Nenet autonomous oblast (the YaNAO), and Kransnoyarsk krai (a total of 5657 samples)—was studied. Statistically significant differences were found in these groups for the studied HBV markers and types. HBsAg was the most prevalent in Altaians in Republic of Altai (13.4% of samples); Dolgans and Nganasans in Krasnoyarsk krai (13.2%); Teleuts in Kemerovo oblast (10.2%); and Buryats in Irkutsk oblast (5.4–8.2%). HBsAg prevalence was minor in Khants, Komi, Nenets and Selkups in YaNAO (0.7–1.7%). The study of the partial HBsAg-gene sequences of 143 HBV isolates from different groups of the five Siberian regions revealed that 130 (90.9%) belonged to genotype D (subtypes ayw2 and ayw3), 10 (7%) to genotype C (subtype adrq+), and 3 (2.1%) to genotype A (subtype adw2). Of the 130 genotype D isolates, 120 belonged to subgenotypes D1 (34.3%), D2 (22.4%), and D3 (27.3%), while the genotype was not determined in 10 (7%) isolates. Subgenotype D1 (HBsAg subtype ayw2) was prevalent among Kazakhs in the Republic of Altai (85.7% of the strains), Teleuts in Kemerovo oblast (60.0%), Russians in Irkutsk oblast (87.5%), and Dolgans and Nganasans in Krasnoyarsk krai (68.8%). Subgenotype D2 (subtype ayw3) was prevalent among Khants and Komi (75%) and Nentsi (57.1%) from the YaNAO. Subgenotype D3 (subtype ayw2) was prevalent in Altaians in the Republic of Altai (76.2%) and Buryats from Irkutsk oblast (50%). Significant prevalence of genotype C (subgenotype C1, 18.8%) was first found in the Far North of Siberia (Taimyr Peninsula, Krasnoyarsk krai). On the basis of the obtained data, we suggested that there exist several epidemiologically different sources of HBV expansion in native Siberian population groups.

Inmigración, lactancia materna y hábito tabáquico

The advantages of breastfeeding for child and mother are widely recognised. Many factors seem to influence the mother's decision of breastfeed. The immigrant state of parents is one of the relevant factors considered. Previous studies founded higher breastfeeding rates among the immigrant population. The present work studies the rates of starting and duration of breastfeeding in the Spanish native population and in immigrants, as well as its relationship with other factors, such as tobacco habit and other perinatal factors. The study included 911 children over a 10 months period. Age, sex, pregnancy duration, birth weight, parents' age, parent's smoking habits and smoking during pregnancy and their relationship the starting and duration of breastfeeding (OR and 95 % CI was obtained) in both immigrant and native population groups and a final multivariate analysis was performed for the starting of breastfeeding and continuing it at three months, including all studied variables. Immigrant and Native population were similar in all variables apart from mother age and smoking habit. Only mother smoking status (initial: OR 0.610 [ 0.429-0.867]; three months: OR 0.540 [0.458-0.636]) and birth weight (initial: OR 0.411 [0.268-0.629]; three months: OR 0.525 [0.407-0.677]) reached statistical significance in the final multivariate analysis. Our findings show that smoking habit and low birth weight are risk factors for not breastfeeding. Immigration status seems to be a confounding factor.

Cause-specific mortality at young ages: Lessons from Finland

This paper analyses cause-specific mortality in ages 15–30 years in Finland, using longitudinal population register data that covers the period 1970–2004. The aim is to see how mortality risks interrelate with living conditions in the parental home and with regional confounders, in order to understand why the two native population groups of the country differ in mortality. Results based on Cox proportional hazard models reveal that, in young men, socio-economic circumstances interrelate with external causes of death excluding suicides, probably because of social class differences in hazardous lifestyles. Thus injuries and accidents, but not suicides, depend on socio-economic background. For suicides, we find a regional mortality pattern that is highly similar to variation in overall mortality at higher ages, whereas for all other external causes of death such differences cannot be observed. These results suggest that hereditary factors cannot be ruled out as an explanation to the population-group mortality gradient.

Mortality inequality in two native population groups

A sample of people aged 40–67 years, taken from a longitudinal register compiled by Statistics Finland, is used to analyse mortality differences between Swedish speakers and Finnish speakers in Finland. Finnish speakers are known to have higher death rates than Swedish speakers. The purpose is to explore whether labour-market experience and partnership status, treated as proxies for measures of variation in health-related characteristics, are related to the mortality differential. Persons who are single, disability pensioners, and those having experienced unemployment are found to have substantially higher death rates than those with a partner and employed persons. Swedish speakers have a more favourable distribution on both variables, which thus notably helps to reduce the Finnish–Swedish mortality gradient. A conclusion from this study is that future analyses on the topic should focus on mechanisms that bring a greater proportion of Finnish speakers into the groups with poor health or supposed unhealthy behaviour.

HLA class II and HLA-B27 oligotyping in two Siberian native population groups.

It was the purpose of this study to better define the frequency of HLA-B27 subtypes and HLA class II alleles among indigenous populations from the eastern tip of the Chukotka Peninsula of Siberia, Russia, which have higher frequencies of HLA-B27 (40%) and spondyloarthropathies (2%) than Caucasian populations and test the hypothesis that these populations are more closely related to Orientals. Siberian Eskimos and Chukchi residing in four coastal villages on the Chukotka Peninsula inhabited by Siberian Eskimos and Chukchi people were examined using oligotyping of the polymerase-chain reaction-amplified second and third exons of the HLA-B27 gene. HLA-class II alleles (DRB1, DQA1 and DQB1) were similarly determined. Of 88 HLA-B27 positive individuals from these villages, all had HLA-B*2705, including the four patients with Reiter's syndrome and the five ankylosing spondylitis, except one Eskimo control who had HLA-B*2702. None had HLA-B*2704, a frequent subtype in Orientals. HLA-class II typing in 70 Siberian Eskimos and 71 Siberian coastal Chukchi revealed HLA-DRB1*0401, DRB1*0802, *0901 and *1402 to account for nearly all the DRB1 alleles found in this population, similar to what has been described in Eskimos in Alaska, but different from Chinese or native Americans in the U.S. The overwhelming majority of the individuals examined had HLA-DQB1*0301, similar to what has been observed in Native Americans. The Siberian Eskimos differed from the coastal Chukchi only in the occurrence of HLA-DRB1*0701, DQA1*0201, DQB1*0201 alleles, which occurred only in the former group. These data suggest that the Chukotka population is genetically more closely related to Caucasians and native Americans and less to other Oriental populations.

Psycho-Social Problems Experienced by Native Population Groups in the Canadian Arctic Involved in Resource Development

Physical health and psycho-social impacts are very much related. There are indications that not only the psychological and social well-being of native peoples but also the physical health and nutritional status has deteriorated in the face of resource development activities in the Arctic. Examples are provided of nutritional anemia, infection of the gastro-intestinal and respiratory tracts in children, obesity, arteriosclerosis and metabolic problems in adults, as well as family break-down, alcohol abuse, venereal disease, and deaths due to violence.

The sudden infant death syndrome among Alaskan natives.

Among Alaskian natives the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) occurs at a rate somewhat less than that reported for native Americans indigenous to temperate latitudes. Cases occurred in both the arctic and subarctic regions of the state and among all but one of the ethnically distinct native population groups. No striking male predisposition was evident. These findings are, in general, similar to previously reported accounts from the states of California and Washington. Any theory of SIDS epidemiogenesis must take into account its wide geoethnic and peculiar sex distribution.