Sibling Competition & Growth Tradeoffs. Biological vs. Statistical Significance.

ABSTRACT: Early childhood growth has many downstream effects on future health and reproduction and is an important measure of offspring quality. While a tradeoff between family size and child growth outcomes is theoretically predicted in high-fertility societies, empirical evidence is mixed. This is often attributed to phenotypic variation in parental condition. However, inconsistent study results may also arise because family size confounds the potentially differential effects that older and younger siblings can have on young children's growth. Additionally, inconsistent results might reflect that the biological significance associated with different growth trajectories is poorly understood. This paper addresses these concerns by tracking children's monthly gains in height and weight from weaning t

SUBMITTER: Kramer KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4777386 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature