Chapter 10, Problem 1DAA

Effect of Paternal Grandmother's Food Supply on Infant Mortality Widely available historical data on periods of famine show that before the industrial revolution, a failed harvest in one autumn often led to severe food shortages the following winter. Retrospective studies have correlated infant mortality with the abundance or food during a grandparent's child hood. FIGURE 10.11 shows results from one or these studies.

FIGURE 10.11 Relative risk of early death of female child, correlated with the age at which her paternal grandmother experienced a winter with a food supply, that was scarce (blue) or abundant (red) during childhood. The dotted line represents no difference in risk of mortality. A value above the line means increased risk; one below the line indicates reduced risk.

Compare the mortality risk of girls whose paternal grandmothers ate well at age 2 with girls whose grandmothers experienced famine at the same age. Which girl was more likely to die early? How much more likely was she to die?

Summary Introduction

To compare: The mortality risk of girls with the food habit of their parental grandmothers.

Introduction: The parental eating behavior has a great influence on the mortality rate of the offspring. The survival of the humans is greatly affected by the food scarcity faced by their ancestors. An individual who has faced famine or starvation at a particular period can be correlated with the infant mortality rate.

Explanation of Solution

As given in Fig. 10.11, “Relative risk of early death of a female child” can be correlated with the age of her parental grandmother food scarcity or food abundance.

According to the given data, during the industrial revolution, a food shortage was experienced in winter due to the failure in harvesting in the autumn season.

The given graph shows, the age of parental grandmother in X- axis and mortality risk ratio of the female child in the Y- axis. The blue line in the graph depicts the mortality rate and parental grandmother who faced food scarcity at the different age. And the red line in the graph depicts the mortality rate and parental grandmother who has abundant of food at the different age. A dotted line which given in the graph represents that there is no difference in the risk of mortality. If the value goes above the dotted line, the risk increases and value below the line the risk decreases.

A comparison is done between the mortality risks of girls correlated with the eating habits of their parental grandmother at the age 2. According to the given graph, a girl whose grandmother experienced food crisis at the age of two is more likely to die earlier than the girl whose parental grandmother got abundant food at the age of 2. The female grandchild’s mortality risk ratio is one and one and half time greater than the average.

Conclusion

The girl child whose parental grandmother faced food crisis at age 2 is one and one-half times more likely to die early.