Doctoral Dissertation Research: Investigating the relationship between rural environments characterized by industrial agriculture and the timing of puberty

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Puberty is known to be affected by nutritional status and psychosocial stress, but less is known about the role of rural environments and, specifically, exposure to chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system. This biocultural doctoral dissertation project explores how living in rural communities shaped by industrial agriculture impacts human growth and development.

The investigators compare pubertal timing in agricultural communities that have high levels of endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure to non-agricultural communities in low-exposure areas. The research contributes new knowledge about variation in patterns of human reproduction, growth, and development. The findings can inform public health policy and public science outreach.

The project includes the design of K-12 curricula on human biology and pesticides. Individuals from groups underrepresented in STEM include participants in the study as well as researchers who will be trained and mentored by the investigators.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals like pesticides can disrupt hormones that regulate puberty, are energetically costly to detoxify, and increase chronic disease risk in adulthood. The investigators use silicone wristbands and gas chromatography to measure exposure to endocrine-disrupting pesticides through skin or respiration among girls in communities with high and low pesticide use.

The researchers evaluate and control for the roles of nutritional status, assessed using anthropometry and 24-hour dietary recalls, and psychosocial stress, measured using a variety of validated instruments. Participant observation is used to understand the local sociocultural context and differences in lived experiences between girls in the agricultural and non-agricultural communities.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.