Established in 1997, The C.A.R.E Program aims at advancing our understanding of the interaction between reproductive patterns and the ecological context in populations of the Gran Chaco region of Argentina.
Among the long-term objectives of the C.A.R.E. Project are to study the impact of the drastic lifestyle changes that the indigenous populations are experiencing in their fertility; to investigate the effect of transculturation on the health status of Chacoan indigenous populations and to explore the influence of child rearing practices on infant and children’s growth and development.
Recent studies conducted under the C.A.R.E. Program include
- Life History Transitions among the Toba: Weaning, Puberty and Menopause (supported by an NSF BCS Career Award, the University Research Foundation at Penn, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation). To read more about this current study, click here.
- Hormonal and cultural correlates to physical discomforts during the menopause transition (supported by a P30 Pilot Award, NIA)
- Risk Factors of Cardiovascular disease and their association with diet, physical activity levels and the sociocultural representations of the healthy body in an adult Toba Population of NamQom (doctoral thesis, Elena Lagranja, supported by the Population Aging Research Center at Penn)
- Growth and development of Toba and Wichi children in the Province of Formosa, Argentina (supported by the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation and the National Geographic Foundation)
Claudia Valeggia 