Human capital, wealth, and nutrition in the Bolivian Amazon

Abstract

We analyze anthropometric variables of a society of forager-horticulturalists in the Bolivian Amazon (Tsimane′) in 2001-2002. Community variables (e.g., inequality, social capital) explain little of the variance in anthropometric indices of nutritional status, but individual-level variables (schooling, wealth) are positively correlated with nutritional status. Dietary quality (foods high in animal proteins), access to foraging technology, and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants are related to better anthropometric indices. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.