An alternative method for assessing early mortality in contemporary populations

Area of Science:

• Biological Anthropology
• Paleodemography
• Human Adaptability Studies

Background:

• Early mortality statistics are crucial for demography, life history analysis, and human adaptability studies.
• Traditional age-based mortality statistics present challenges in populations with non-calendrical age systems or limited record-keeping.
• Infant mortality rate (IMR) calculations are particularly difficult in such contexts, despite their widespread use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an alternative to age-based early mortality statistics.
• To leverage human growth and development assessments for more accurate mortality data.
• To re-center the discussion of early mortality on developmental stages and their environmental context.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing developmental stages (e.g., crawling, weaning) instead of chronological age for mortality statistics.
• Analyzing death or survival based on observable developmental milestones.
• Conducting a case study in the Turkana population of Kenya to demonstrate the method.

Main Results:

• Developmental stage-based mortality data may be more accurate and closely linked to causes of death.
• This approach provides a nuanced understanding of infant and juvenile mortality in diverse populations.
• The Turkana case study illustrates the practical application and benefits of this methodology.

Conclusions:

• Developmental stage is a viable and potentially superior metric for early mortality statistics in anthropological research.
• This method enhances the analysis of human growth, development, and survival patterns.
• Focusing on developmental stages offers a richer, context-specific perspective on early life mortality.