Research Activities

Characterization of Livelihood Strategies of Communities	Diversity of food and income sources; Agricultural diversity and biodiversity of wild foods gathered from surrounding forests; The contribution of different land uses (fishing, farming, hunting and gathering, logging) to dietary quality and food security.
Assesment of Household Health and Nutritional Status	Level of household food security and the nutritional status of individual men, women and children Seasonal changes in nutrient intake and deficiencies of micronutrients (iron, zinc, vitamin A, B, C and D) Patterns of maternal and infant mortality, general morbidity and disease periodicity of men, women and children
Test Water Quality	Water used for drinking and bathing Coliform counts, pH and turbidity are used as indicators of water quality.
On Site Health Analysis	Prevalence and incidence of parasitic infections in children and haemoglobin levels in women and children Stool sample analysis on site so mothers can view parasites through our microscope
Ethnographic Studies	Done at each site, exploring how local beliefs, knowledge and decision-making processes affect the selection of foods and the treatment of illness
Participatory Research	Assessment of the health and nutritional issues with each community to identify their health priorities and through this develop local definitions and indicators of individual and community health Methods used include focus group discussions, matrices, spatial and body mapping, timelines
Spatial Mapping	Mapping of the extent of the area from which the community draws resources, as well as the diversity of biotas/biotypes upon which they depend for food sources.
Identify Linkages through Modeling	Determine the significant correlates of nutritional status and identify the causal linkages between natural resource use, health and nutrition through bivariate and multivariate analyses and modeling Lists of hypotheses and indicators linking natural resource use, health and nutrition

**PHOTOS (left to right):** Families diversify their incomes by selling oil palm or pineapple and diversify their diets by eating suri (a worm).

Projected Outputs

Report of nutritional and health status of men, women and children in selected communities and the significant determinants of nutritional and health status
Indicators and measures of individual and community health for Ucayali
Analysis of the impact of seasonality on resource use activities, food availability, income levels and disease periodicity, and identification of critical periods when cycles of disease and food insecurity most severely threaten the health of women and children
Spatial map of area surrounding community from which resources are extracted (ie. fishing, logging and hunting and gathering)
Community Action Plan (CAPs) for each site, addressing key health and nutrition problems and incorporating local definitions and indicators of human health
Dietary guidelines for each community, based on the availability of local sources of nutrient-rich foods
Educational programs and improved nutrition programs targeting high-risk groups and critical periods when the cycles of nutrient intake and disease most adversely affect health.
Purification measures to improve water quality and hygiene and sanitation practices to reduce water contamination
Small-scale food production projects in each community, aimed at increasing dietary diversity and food security, eg. family gardens, small animals, fruit orchards and fish ponds.
Semester-length course on Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health with training materials developed for an undergraduate program in Health, Forestry and Agronomy at UNU.

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