Seasonality, subsistence agriculture and nutrition in a lowlands community of Papua New Guinea

In many lowland areas of Papua New Guinea, rainfall and subsistence agriculture show marked seasonal patterns. As part of an intensive study of the relationship between subsistence agriculture and nutrition in one lowlands community where there is a high rate of child malnutrition, an attempt was made to determine whether the seasonality of the agricultural system is an important influence upon nutritional status. Between October, 1980, and September, 1981, rainfall and temperature records were kept, the agricultural year described and a sample of adults weighed monthly. The analysis detected statistically significant weight changes for both males and females. The description of the agricultural year provides a reasonable explanation for the pattern of weight change observed. However, the range in mean monthly weights is small, and the biological significance difficult to determine. It is unlikely that seasonality alone is sufficient to account for the high rates of malnutrition.