Masako Fujita (PhC 2005, Washington)
Research Interests:
Evolutionary analyses of public health problem, Vitamin A deficiency, Mother-infant vitamin A transfer, HIV prevention, Seasonality in maternal health and nutrition; Reproductive Ecology; Evolution of life history traits; Biomarker methodology; Northern Kenya
"My dissertation work adopts an evolutionary perspective to better understand the inter-generational dynamics of vitamin A deficiency (VAD), a serious and persistent public health problem of global scale. Newborns have meager VA stores, and are dependent on breastmilk for immediate physiological needs and for building liver stores needed after weaning. It has been documented that VA concentrations in breastmilk decline across the first year postpartum in women from both developed and developing nations, but the reason for decline has been left uninvestigated and simply assumed to be a consequence of depleting maternal liver stores. However, studies indicate that the decline may occur even in mothers with adequate liver stores. Thus currently there is no explanation for why the decline is pervasive despite its potentially devastating effects on child health and survival. My research attempts to shed light on this phenomenon with anthropological theories of mother-offspring resource transfer. This research will contribute not only to the anthropological literature but also to the public health community for effective intervention."
CSDE Spotlight - July 2005
Curriculum Vita
Dissertation Project/Title:
An Evolutionary Perspective on Mother-Offspring Vitamin A Transfer
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Selected Publications:
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2007
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Fujita M, Brindle E, Shell-Duncan B, Shofer J, O’Connor KA. (under revision). Retinol-binding protein stability in dried blood spots. Clinical Chemistry 53(11):1972-1975.
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2006
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Fujita M. Maternal vitamin A deficiency in a settled Ariaal community in northern Kenya: a direction for future research. Journal of Development Alternative and Area Studies 25(3):88-100.
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2006 |
Roth EA, Ngugi E, Fujita M. 2006. Self deception does not explain high-risk behavior in the face of HIV/AIDS: a test from northern Kenya. Evolution and Human Behavior 27(1):53-62.
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2005 |
Fujita M, Roth EA, Nathan MA, Fratkin EM. Sedentarization and seasonality: Maternal dietary and health consequences in Ariaal and Rendille communities in northern Kenya. In: Fratkin EM, Roth, EA, editors. As Pastoralists Settle: Social, Health, and Economic Consequences of the Pastoral Sedentarization in Marsabit District, Kenya. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers. pp 209-234. |
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2004 |
Fujita M, Roth EA, Nathan M, and Fratkin EM. Sedentism, Seasonality and Economic Status: A Multivariate Analysis of Maternal Dietary and Health Statuses between Pastoral and Agricultural Ariaal and Rendille Communities in Northern Kenya. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 123(3):277-91.
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