Simon Allyson M, Hubbe Mark
Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Am J Biol Anthropol. 2025 Apr;186(4):e70041. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.70041.
The impact of physiological stress during growth and development on mortality has been a topic of intense interest in bioarchaeology and other disciplines. In this study, we analyze the association between survival and two markers of physiological stress, linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) and adult stature, in a sample of 296 individuals from the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection (HTOC).
The HTOC is among the most well-known osteological collections in the discipline, representing low socioeconomic status individuals from early 20th century Cleveland, Ohio. Ages-at-death and demographic identifiers (sex and socially ascribed race) were known for all individuals in the sample. The association between the skeletal and dental markers of early life stress and survival was evaluated through Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, using log rank tests to analyze the significance of differences in survival among demographic groups.
Significant differences in survival were observed between demographic groups, regardless of LEH status or stature. However, there were no significant differences in survivorship by LEH presence in this sample, despite the expectation that periods of physiological stress during key stages of development contribute to long-term health consequences such as suppressed immune function. For females, shorter statures were associated with a higher probability of survival, while there were no significant differences in survival for males based on stature.
It is likely that differences in survival observed in this sample of the HTOC are the consequence of other factors, most likely related to adult environmental quality, as opposed to early life stress.
生长发育过程中的生理应激对死亡率的影响一直是生物考古学和其他学科密切关注的话题。在本研究中，我们分析了来自哈曼 - 托德骨学收藏馆（HTOC）的296名个体样本中，生存与生理应激的两个标志物——线性釉质发育不全（LEH）和成年身高之间的关联。
HTOC是该学科中最著名的骨学收藏之一，代表了20世纪初俄亥俄州克利夫兰社会经济地位较低的个体。样本中的所有个体都有死亡年龄和人口统计学标识符（性别和社会认定的种族）。通过Kaplan-Meier生存分析评估早期生活应激的骨骼和牙齿标志物与生存之间的关联，使用对数秩检验分析不同人口统计学组之间生存差异的显著性。
无论LEH状态或身高如何，不同人口统计学组之间的生存存在显著差异。然而，尽管预期发育关键阶段的生理应激期会导致诸如免疫功能抑制等长期健康后果，但该样本中LEH的存在与否在生存率上并无显著差异。对于女性，较矮的身高与较高的生存概率相关，而男性的生存概率则与身高无显著差异。
在HTOC的这个样本中观察到的生存差异很可能是其他因素的结果，最有可能与成年后的环境质量有关，而非早期生活应激。
