ABSTRACT
There is abundant evidence that the settlement of foraging groups brings negative impacts on health, both in the past and today. Similar changes occur when nomadic pastoralists settle, with some qualifications related to the fact that nomads tend to be in frequent, direct contact with herded animals and to consume a diet relatively high in animal products such as meat, milk, and blood. This selection proposes that, as is the case with newly settled foragers, settled nomads experience lower nutritional status and a higher disease burden due in large part to increased infectious disease. This effect has already been demonstrated in women and children (see Fratkin et al. 1999), so the present research focuses on men. The results are discouraging given that people in permanent settlements supposedly have the benefit of greater access to medical care, education, and employment, and a reliable and more ample food supply.
