Parental investment and age at weaning in a Caribbean village
Parental investment and age at weaning in a Caribbean village
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DOI：
10.1016/s1090-5138(02)00104-6
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发表时间：
2003-01-01
影响因子：
5.1
通讯作者：
Flinn, MV
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Quinlan, RJ;Quinlan, MB;Flinn, MV
预测不同环境下断奶的时间很重要，因为母乳喂养对儿童生存和总体健康有很大贡献，特别是在发展中国家。本研究探讨断奶和家庭人口统计学变量之间的关联，测试来自父母投资（PI）理论的预测。收集了多米尼克农村社区101名儿童（49名男性和52名女性）的数据。分析表明，父亲的缺席与早期断奶有关。这是PI理论唯一得到支持的预测。结果表明：（1）有无异性母本和家庭财富与断奶年龄呈负相关。(2)家庭中受抚养子女的数量与断奶年龄呈正相关。(3)母亲的出生年龄与断奶时间无关。最后，（4）婴儿性别与财富、性别与母亲社会支持的交互作用与断奶年龄无关。表明在该种群中对断奶没有Trivers-Willard效应。我们认为，解释断奶从PI理论将受益于包括长期护理的高机会成本，对互惠的女性劳动力的需求，和投资的重要性，在“体现资本”。“（C）2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
Predicting the timing of weaning in diverse environments is important because breast-feeding significantly contributes to child survival and overall health, especially in developing countries. This study examines associations between weaning and household demographic variables that test predictions derived from parental investment (PI) theory. Data were collected for 101 children (49 males and 52 females) in a rural community in Dominica. Analyses indicate that father absence is associated with early weaning. This was the only prediction from PI theory that was supported. The following results were contrary to expectations: (1) Availability of female alloparents and household wealth were negatively associated with age at weaning. (2) Number of dependent children in the household was positively associated with age at weaning. (3) Mother's age at birth was not correlated with the timing of weaning. Lastly, (4) interaction terms for child's sex by wealth and sex by maternal social support were not associated with age at weaning. indicating the lack of a Trivers -Willard effect on weaning in this population. We Suggest that explanations of weaning from PI theory will benefit from including high opportunity costs of prolonged nursing, demands for reciprocal female labor, and the importance of investment in "embodied capital." (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.