DOI: 10.5061/dryad.r4xgxd2r9
title: Health, attractiveness, and marriageability among Aka hunter-gatherer and Ngandu farmer adolescents and young adults in the Central African Republic

description: This study investigates how adolescents from two culturally distinct
 Central African communities—the Aka hunter-gatherers and Ngandu
 farmers—perceive health, attractiveness, and marriageability, focusing on
 how local socio-ecological contexts shape perceptions of health,
 attraction, and mate preferences. The research examines how body mass
 index and parasite load relate to perceived health and attractiveness.
 Seventy-five adolescents (39 Aka and 36 Ngandu) evaluated photographs of
 peers for health, attractiveness, and marriagability, while physical
 health was objectively measured using anthropometric and parasitological
 data. Regression analyses revealed that BMI was a consistent and
 significant predictor of both perceived health and attractiveness, whereas
 total parasite load did not significantly influence either outcome.
 Notably, perceptions of health strongly predicted attractiveness and
 marriageability, but not vice versa. Ethnic and gender differences in
 perception were also found: Aka adolescents prioritized social traits like
 kindness and cooperation, while Ngandu participants emphasized physical
 cleanliness and robustness. Male raters showed more variability and
 stricter standards, particularly when evaluating females. These findings
 underscore the role of robust phenotypic features, such as BMI, in
 determining how health, beauty, and reproductive value are interpreted.
 This research contributes to understanding how evolutionarily evolved
 preferences and cultural contexts shape perceptions of health, attraction,
 and marriageability.
description: # Dryad dataset Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.r4xgxd2r9](10.5061/dryad.r4xgxd2r9) ## Description of the
 data and file structure This study employed a mixed-methods design to
 explore perceptions of health, attractiveness, and marriageability among
 Aka hunter-gatherer and Ngandu farmer adolescents in the Central African
 Republic. A sample of 75 participants completed pile-sorting tasks
 involving photographs of same- and opposite-sex peers, categorizing them
 by perceived health, attractiveness, and marriageability. These
 evaluations were supplemented by open-ended interviews, free-listing
 exercises, and anthropometric measures, including BMI and body fat
 percentage. Parasitological data were collected via stool samples and
 analyzed for prevalence of 13 intestinal parasites. The goal was to
 examine the relative influence of physical health indicators—particularly
 BMI and parasite load—on local mate preferences across distinct cultural
 contexts. ### Files and variables #### **Key to:** Health, Attractiveness,
 and Marriageability Variable Description #### ***Unless explicitly stated,
 all the variables below are used in the***
 `Final_Data_for_HealthAttraction`***sheet of the data file.*** ####
 **1.     Demographic & Biological Variables** | **Variable** |
 **Description** | **Type** | | :----------- |
 :--------------------------------------------- |
 :--------------------------------- | | **ID** | Unique participant
 identifier. | Numeric | | **Eth** | Ethnicity (Aka or Ngandu Tribe). |
 Categorical (Binary: Aka / Ngandu) | | **Sex** | Biological sex of the
 participant | Binary (Male/Female). | | **BMI** | Body Mass Index (weight
 in kg / height in m²). | Continuous | #### ***(The above variables and the
 PathNP variable are used in all sheets of the data file.)*** 
 
 #### **2.     Pathogenic Load Variables** | **Variable** |
 **Description** | **Type** | | :----------- |
 :---------------------------------------------- | :------- | | **Path** |
 Pathogenic exposure | Numeric | | **PathNP** | Total pathogenic load |
 Numeric | | **PathEtc** | Union of pathogenic parasites and ectoparasites
 | Numeric | | **NP** | Non-pathogenic | Numeric | 
 
 #### **3.     Perceived Health & Attractiveness (Rated by Others)** |
 **Variable** | **Description** | **Type** | | :----------- |
 :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------ | | **PHeal** | Proportion of health perception (rated by both sexes toward an individual). | Numeric (0–1) | | **Pattr** | Proportion of attractiveness perception (rated by both sexes toward an individual). | Numeric (0–1) | | **FHeal** | Proportion of health perception (rated toward a **female** individual by both sexes). | Numeric (0–1) | | **MHeal** | Proportion of health perception (rated toward a **male** individual by both sexes). | Numeric (0–1) | | **Fattr** | Proportion of attractiveness perception (rated toward a **female** individual by both sexes). | Numeric (0–1) | | **Mattr** | Proportion of attractiveness perception (rated toward a **male** individual by both sexes). | Numeric (0–1) | 
 
 #### **4.     Marriageability** Perceptions (Rated by Opposite Sex) |
 **Variable** | **Description** | **Type** | | :----------- |
 :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------ | | **Mmarr** | Proportion of marriageability perception (rated by **females** toward a male individual). ***(This variable can be found in the*** ***`MarriageM`*** ***sheet of the data file)*** | Numeric (0–1) | | **Fmarr** | Proportion of marriageability perception (rated by **males** toward a female individual). ***(This variable can be found in the*** ***`MarriageF`*** ***sheet of the data file)*** | Numeric (0–1) | 
 
 #### **5. Transformed Variables (S&V Transformation)** *Note: S&V
 - (Smithson & Verkuilen, 2006)* | **Variable** | **Description** |
 **Type** | | :----------- |
 :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------ | | **PhealT** | Transformed (S\&V) version of **PHeal**. | Numeric (0–1) | | **PattrT** | Transformed (S\&V) version of **Pattr**. | Numeric (0–1) | | **FhealT** | Transformed (S\&V) version of **FHeal**. | Numeric (0–1) | | **MhealT** | Transformed (S\&V) version of **MHeal**. | Numeric (0–1) | | **FattrT** | Transformed (S\&V) version of **Fattr**. | Numeric (0–1) | | **MattrT** | Transformed (S\&V) version of **Mattrr**. | Numeric (0–1) | | **PMarrM** | Transformed (S\&V) version of **Mmarr**. ***(This variable can be found in the*** ***`MarriageM`sheet of the data file)*** | Numeric (0–1) | | **PMarrF** | Transformed (S\&V) version of **Fmarr**. ***(This variable can be found in the*** ***`MarriageF`*** ***sheet of the data file)*** | Numeric (0–1) | The 0-1 value indicates the following: * **PhealT**: A value of 0 represents less healthiness, whereas a value of 1 indicates the healthiest condition. This applies to **FhealT** and **MhealT** as well. * **PattrT**: A value of 0 signifies less attractiveness, while a value of 1 represents the highest level of attractiveness. The same applies to **FattrT** and **MattrT**. * **PMarrM**: A value of 0 indicates a lower likelihood of being considered for marriage, whereas a value of 1 suggests a higher likelihood of being preferred for marriage. This also applies to **PMarrF.** 
 
 ## Code/software ### ***Analysis Workflow*** *All statistical analyses
 were conducted in **RStudio** using **R Markdown** for reproducibility.*
 ***Code Location**: First, unzip the* *`SubmissionKey.zip`* folder. *The
 full analysis scripts are available in the* *`SubmissionKey/Code/`*
 *folder within the `SubmissionKey` directory.* * *File
 1: Health_and_Attraction_Analysis.Rmd - Analysis of the*
 ***`Final_Data_for_HealthAttraction`sheet**.* *A PDF version of the code
 is also available.* * *File 2: Marriage_by_Sex_BR.Rmd - Analysis of*
 ***`MarriageM`*** ***and*** ***`MarriageF`*** *sheets*. *A PDF version of
 the code is also available.* ***Data Location**: Datasets are stored in*
 *`SubmissionKey/Data/Data_Marriage_Health_and_Attraction.xlsx`.* Other
 publicly accessible locations of the data: NA Data was derived from the
 following sources: NA ## Human subjects data Due to the sensitive nature
 of the research, strict protocols were implemented. Participation was
 voluntary, with participants informed of the study's aims,
 procedures, and risks before giving consent, including parental consent
 for minors. Participants could skip questions or withdraw at any time
 without consequences. To ensure confidentiality, all data were anonymized,
 and no identifiable information was included. Ethical approval was
 obtained from local and institutional review boards, adhering to
 international research guidelines.