Ecology of Long-term Health and Survival in Papua New Guinea

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For the Gidra-speaking population, consisting of about 2000 peoples in 13 villages, we clarified (1) detailed population dynamics and migration histories in the last 30 years, (2) reproduction histories of all females, (3) determination of sex hormone levels (estradiol, progesterone and chorionic gonadotropin) of the samples collected from the five villages, (4) estimation of nutritional status based on two-week food consumption surveys. One of the tentative conclusions showed that the mean parity size for women after menopause was 3.6, characterized by the peak at zero parity. The results of analysis of their hormone levels demonstrated that there were no specific features in the zero-parity women and that all pregnancies detected by chorionic gonadotorpin level led to live births. However, further analysis, in which age factors are added, is needed because hormone levels differs from reproductive age to menopausal age.For tha Asaro-speaking population. 2000 peoples in 10 villages, we conducted (1) anthropometry and blood pressure measurements for 313 adults, (2) follow-up study for the women, who were determined as reproductive age in our 1996 survey, about abortion and stillbirth in the last one year, (3) measurements of urea nitrogen and sodium for urine samples collected from the peoples in these villages, (4) behavioral observation for chidren in one village, and (5) observations for the villagers' producing and consuming activities in the same village. In comparison with the Gidra people, the Asaro people were judged more modernized, represented by higher body mass index values (23.7 for males and 24.2 for females on average).