AHS18 George Diggs - Implications of Evolutionary Mismatch in the Field of Public Health
Channel: AncestryFoundation
Date: 2018-10-15

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Evolutionary mismatch is now understood to affect many aspects of modern life but has had little discussion in the field of Public Health. However, a wide variety of mismatches both damage the health of populations and reduce the effectiveness of Public Health interventions known to improve overall population health. Intervention strategies that are negatively impacted by mismatch include maternal and infant care efforts, drug treatment programs, vaccination programs, sex education efforts, and attempts to reduce exposure to toxins. These mismatches include both genetic causes of mismatch (e.g., cognitive biases, metabolic constraints) and cultural causes of mismatch (e.g., affiliation with political parties, religious organizations, or other groups that influence individuals to act against their own interests). As Co-Director of a Public Health program teaching an undergraduate Public Health course titled, "Environmental and Evolutionary Health," I will address some of the mismatches affecting Public Health included in this course.