The Health Consequences of 'Modernisation': Evidence from Circumpolar Peoples (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology) [Hardcover]

Roy J. Shephard (Author), Andris Rode (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0521474019 | ISBN-13: 978-0521474016

In this book, the authors assess the impact of "modernization" on various populations in the circumpolar regions. They examine the adaptations shown culturally, behaviorally, and physically by the indigenous peoples, and discuss the effect of changes in habitual activity, diet, and general life style due to more urban living patterns on body composition, pulmonary function and susceptibility to disease.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book is clearly written and well referenced, with numerous tables and charts used to display the biological data. Of interest to historians of science as well as human biologists and anthropologists." Choice

"...the authors have a fine and subtle feel for the arctic. Their constant flashes of cultural insight do a lot to enligten the dense biological data. I am asking my own graduate students to use this book as one model of how to conceptualize anthropologically informed human biology." A. Theodore Steegmann Jr., American Anthropologist

"The book's strength in physiological topics reflects the authors' background and experience. Moreover, there is much in this book that is useful for any health care practitioner and researcher with an interest in the North. It is a convenient, single-source introduction to the Inuit and their health status, with a comprehensive bibliography." Transcultural Psychiatry

Book Description

What are the health consequences of switching from an active 'hunter-gatherer' lifestyle to that of sedentary modern living? Here, the impact of 'modernisation' in circumpolar peoples is assessed. The hazards to humans of living in polar regions, and the effect of changes in habitual activity, diet, and general lifestyle due to more urban living patterns are investigated. This work has far-reaching implications for the survival of indigenous communities around the world, and for all of us living an increasingly sedentary, urban lifestyle.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 324 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (February 23, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521474019
• ISBN-13: 978-0521474016
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,495,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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