College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Using anti-oppressive methodologies, the Chihuum Piiuywmk Inach/Gathering of Good Minds (CPI/GoGM) project reimagined inclusive pathways for data analysis in health equity Community Engaged Research (CER). Transformations in CER methodologies that decenter colonial and institutional systems of oppression and center Indigenous epistemologies are on the rise. There is, however, a paucity of guidance on data analysis in CER. The CPI/GoGM’s historical trauma project is a grounded demonstration of inclusion and building relational research spaces that support Indigenous epistemologies. Community inclusion in data analysis is an intervention and next step for equity in CER and a call for epistemic justice. 

ABSTRACT This study investigates fatal opioid overdoses in Riverside County, California, between January 2020 and March 2023, employing advanced spatial‐temporal analysis methods to uncover significant clusters and their underlying contexts. By integrating global and local Knox tests, the research identifies both broad trends and specific hotspots of fatal overdoses. The findings reveal substantial spatial disparities, with higher overdose rates in rural areas and neighborhoods characterized by lower socioeconomic status and larger Hispanic populations. Despite a lower overall overdose risk among Hispanics, their neighborhoods exhibit a higher occurrence of fatal overdoses, highlighting complex interactions between individual and environmental factors. These insights underscore the need for targeted, contextually informed public health interventions and policies to effectively address the opioid crisis.

Abstract: The Ming-period (1368−1644 C.E.) tombs at Upper Xuwucun, Shaanxi, yielded 23 skeletons and 4 carved stone epitaphs detailing the lives of those interred at the site. This is a rare case of linked skeletal, mortuary, and newly unearthed written records of individuals—the Zhang family—not previously known to history. Details of the epitaphs are presented, including age at death, gender, and life story, along with osteobiographies and trends in the skeletal population, including indications of antemortem trauma, benign neoplasms, and foot binding. Dimensions of gender and class specific to this historical context are inscribed in the epitaphs and in the skeletons, and together they constitute a more complete picture of the construction of social roles among Ming landowners in the rural Guanzhong Basin.

To acquire a robust picture of Andean labor, this research used the skeletal evidence of labor (i.e. osteoarthritis (OA) and entheseal changes (EC)) during Tiwanaku times, modern ethnographic interviews with Indigenous Aymara people, and computer-aided motion capture (mocap). The focus was on understanding patterns of activity and comparing these deceased individuals’ labors to modern Aymara traditional tasks. The skeletal remains, ethnographic evidence, and mocap of traditional activities showed that intense labors, such as farming or craft production, begin in pre-teen years. Results also revealed that many of the modern tools used are the same as those used over a thousand years ago. EC “chopping” motion was also correlated to drop spindle yarn production. Back pain was discussed in regards to spinal OA, linked to both performing strenuous tasks and advancing age. Laborers from the past and present can answer questions about gendered labor and the importance of Indigenous expert knowledge.

Historical, cultural, and social trauma, along with social determinants of health (SDOH), shape health outcomes, attitudes toward medicine, government, and health behaviors among communities of color in the United States (U.S.). This study explores how trauma and fear influence COVID-19 testing and vaccination among Black/African American, Latinx/Indigenous Latin American, and Native American/Indigenous communities. Leveraging community-based participatory research methods, we conducted 11 virtual focus groups from January to March of 2021 with Black/African American (n = 4), Latinx/Indigenous Latin American (n = 4), and Native American/Indigenous (n = 3) identifying community members in Inland Southern California. Our team employed rapid analytic approaches (e.g., template and matrix analysis) to summarize data and identify themes across focus groups and used theories of intersectionality and trauma to meaningfully interpret study findings. Historical, cultural, and social trauma induce fear and mistrust in public health and medical institutions influencing COVID-19 testing and vaccination decisions in communities of color in Inland Southern California. This work showcases the need for culturally and structurally sensitive community-based health interventions that attend to the historical, cultural, and social traumas unique to racial/ethnic minority populations in the U.S. that underlie fear and mistrust of medical, scientific, and governmental institutions.

The natural environment of the Gansu-Qinghai region in northwest China exhibits spatial variation, resulting in distinct adaptive strategies among populations in different geographical areas. In this study, we analyzed the diachronic trend and regional variations in caries prevalence among 10 different middle and late-Holocene groups by examining dental caries data to explore the correlation between different adaptation strategies and caries frequency. Frequency data was used to compare dental caries between populations, and the Chi-square test was employed to detect statistical differences. A multidisciplinary approach was employed to investigate the relationship between these changes and the adaptive strategies adopted by the populations in this region. The result shows that there was a gradual increase in caries prevalence over time in eastern Gansu, which corresponded with development of millet farming and social hierarchy. In the Hexi Corridor, caries prevalence exhibited fluctuations attributable to climate variability, human migration, and regime change. The research proposes that changes in adaptive strategies due to various social and environmental factors are reflected in human teeth, while also presenting a novel endeavor of aggregating a large, multisite bioarchaeological dataset in order to investigate the interactions between Holocene populations and palaeoenvironments in northwest China.

Abstract: Dental data can reveal evidence for a past population's oral health, nutrition, and certain cultural activities. This study aims to explore oral health and dental attrition during the late Bronze Age in order to explore health outcomes in different subgroups as well as aspects of foodways and changes in subsistence strategies during the second millennium BCE in northwest China. To do this, the skeletal remains of adult individuals associated with the Siwa material culture (1400–1100 BC) from the Mogou site (n = 28) were macroscopically assessed and compared with previously published data derived from a subsample of individuals associated with Qijia period material culture complex (1750–1400 BC) from the same site. The results show that the Siwa‐period population experienced a high frequency of carious lesions and antemortem tooth loss associated with advanced attrition (of both molars and nonmolar teeth), which did not vary significantly by sex. Females had a higher prevalence of carious lesions and antemortem tooth loss than did males, while males had a higher prevalence of dental calculus. These male/female health outcomes are also attested during the earlier Qijia period at the Mogou site. The Siwa period differs from the Qijia in that females experienced slightly worse attrition than their predecessors. Overall, oral health does not diverge significantly between the Qijia and Siwa periods, suggesting that the factors that contributed to oral health including dietary practices may have persisted diachronically for individuals buried at this site.

Abstract: Skeletal fluorosis is a systemic chronic disease caused by long‐term intake of excessive fluoride, which accumulates in bone tissue and causes changes to the bone and periosteal tissue. Skeletal fluorosis is rarely considered in paleopathological analyses, but in areas with relatively high fluoride in the environment, it may be an important cause of bone hyperplasia. In this study, we observed pathological lesions consistent with fluorosis on two human skeletons from the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE) excavated from a cemetery in western Henan Province. By using an electron microprobe to measure the fluoride content in the teeth, and by considering the living conditions in the area during the Ming Dynasty, we conclude that the remains show evidence of skeletal fluorosis. We also consider the content of fluoride in the local groundwater, the local way of life, and other factors, to identify potential causes of skeletal fluorosis in this population and demonstrate that environmental factors were the main cause. This offers insight into the relationship between humans and their environments in China, especially western Henan Province, in the historical past. It also demonstrates the unique contributions bioarchaeology can make to environmental health studies and studies of the history of health.