Family Structure and Health in the Developing World: What Can Evolutionary Anthropology Contribute to Population Health Science?

摘要: In this chapter, we consider what evolutionary anthropology contributes to the study of population health, focusing specifically on family structure and its relationship child adult physical health. Evolutionary anthropologists have now built a substantial body literature relationships between various dimensions human wellbeing, particularly in context small-scale ‘traditional’ societies developing rural communities most at risk poor health outcomes. Crucially, they also constructed theoretical models account for variation key relation individual, ecological, cultural factors. Thus, much say, not only about extent which specific structures may influence but why certain forms persist or change across time space. Here, studies primarily conducted sub-Saharan Africa, review three interrelated their health: (1) size, (2) polygynous versus monogamous marriage, (3) role extended kin. Using these examples, highlight empirical contributions draw out implications policy related initiatives seeking improve world.