Spotlight
Biocultural Anthropology student Masako Fujita combines labwork with cultural research in northern KenyaDoctoral student Masako Fujita will travel to Kenya this summer to begin the first phase of her dissertation research on Vitamin A transfer from mothers to children in breastmilk. Fujita, who has previously done research in Kenya with CSDE affiliate Eric Roth (University of Victoria), will be collecting cultural and contextual information about women’s dietary norms, preferences, and constraints in this first phase. She will also be working out the logistics for the second phase: how to store and transport serum and breastmilk samples from lactating mothers in rural Kenya, where there is little or no electricity, back to UW for analysis. As a biocultural anthropology student, Fujita combines labwork with cultural research. Her interest in the impact of lifestyle changes on maternal health is especially relevant to the population with which she will be working: The Ariaal and Rendille population of northern Kenya has undergone a lifestyle change in recent years from nomadic to sedentary, affecting their diet and habits. In addition, their cultural practices discourage women from consuming meat and blood, which are significant sources of dietary vitamin A. The goal of her study is to investigate the relationships and trade-offs between maternal vitamin A status, maternal health, and child survival in the cultural and ecological context of northern Kenya. Vitamin A deficiency, estimated by healthworkers to be high in the Ariaal and Rendille population, increases the risk of infection and death by compromising the immune system. In addition, the WHO also calls it "the leading cause of preventable blindness in children." However, vitamin A supplementation to correct this deficiency must be carefully done. High doses of vitamin A to pregnant women can cause birth defects, and high doses to infants and children can have severe toxic side effects. Research also shows that even when mothers have adequate vitamin A stores, vitamin A concentrations in breastmilk decline in the first several months after giving birth. Adopting the concept of tradeoffs from life history theory, Fujita hypothesizes that this decline may occur because the body reallocates vitamin A away from breastmilk to the liver for maternal survival and future reproduction. Since coming to UW in 2001, Fujita has worked in the CSDE Biodemography Lab on a number of projects, most recently to validate assays for measuring vitamin A and C-reactive protein. She also helps train students in the lab in proper technique and practices. Fujita has received several fellowships and grants to help support her research on maternal health in the Ariaal and Rendille of northern Kenya, including funds from the Puget Sound Partners for Global Health, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the UW Graduate School, and the Department of Anthropology. Related Publications: |
