Sadhir Srishti, McGrosky Amanda, Ford Leslie B, Nzunza Rosemary, Wemanya Sylvia N, Mashaka Husna, Kinyanjui Rahab N, Ndiema Emmanuel, Braun David R, Rosinger Asher Y, Pontzer Herman
Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Department of Biology, Elon University, Elon, North Carolina, USA.
Am J Hum Biol. 2025 Jan;37(1):e24174. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.24174. Epub 2024 Oct 27.
In subsistence populations, high physical activity is typically maintained throughout pregnancy. Market integration shifts activity patterns to resemble industrialized populations, with more time allocated to sedentary behavior. Daasanach semi-nomadic pastoralists living in northern Kenya face lifestyle heterogeneity due to the emergence of a market center. We investigate how Daasanach women manage the energetic demands of pregnancy with subsistence labor tasks and how market integration relates to variation in energetic demands, physical activity, and coping strategies.
We conducted nine focus group discussions with 72 pregnant women. We also deployed wrist-worn fitness trackers with 21 pregnant women in two community types: central or peripheral to the market center to capture variation in market integration. Data from focus group discussions were analyzed using thematic analysis. We used multiple linear regression to examine the relationship between gestational age and physical activity.
We identified themes of increased fatigue, diet restrictions, and assistance with labor tasks during pregnancy. Gestational age negatively predicted mean daily steps, with a decrease of 1160 ± 437 steps per day with each consecutive pregnancy month. Stratified by community type, gestational age only negatively predicted mean daily steps for peripheral communities, with a decrease of 1443 ± 629 steps per day with each consecutive pregnancy month.
Results suggest that physical activity differs with market integration early, but not late, in pregnancy. Daasanach women cope with the energetic demands of pregnancy by reducing physical activity late in pregnancy and receiving assistance with labor tasks from family and neighbors.
在维持生计的人群中，孕期通常保持较高的体力活动水平。市场一体化使活动模式向工业化人群靠拢，更多时间用于久坐行为。生活在肯尼亚北部的达萨纳奇半游牧牧民因市场中心的出现面临生活方式的异质性。我们调查达萨纳奇妇女如何通过维持生计的劳动任务来应对孕期的能量需求，以及市场一体化与能量需求、体力活动和应对策略的变化之间的关系。
我们与72名孕妇进行了9次焦点小组讨论。我们还在两种社区类型（市场中心的中心或周边）的21名孕妇中部署了腕戴式健身追踪器，以捕捉市场一体化的差异。焦点小组讨论的数据采用主题分析进行分析。我们使用多元线性回归来检验孕周与体力活动之间的关系。
我们确定了孕期疲劳加剧、饮食限制和劳动任务得到帮助等主题。孕周对平均每日步数有负向预测作用，每增加一个怀孕月，每日步数减少1160±437步。按社区类型分层后，孕周仅对周边社区的平均每日步数有负向预测作用，每增加一个怀孕月，每日步数减少1443±629步。
结果表明，孕期早期体力活动因市场一体化而有所不同，但晚期并非如此。达萨纳奇妇女通过在孕期后期减少体力活动以及从家人和邻居那里获得劳动任务方面的帮助来应对孕期的能量需求。
