This dissertation research examines the practical and evolutionary implications of child health patterns among settled Datoga households in northern Tanzania. The project should augment both biocultural and evolutionary understandings of child health and caretaking on a theoretical level while developing infant health initiatives that are useful for Datoga women on a practical level. The cultural anthropology student will identify which developmental periods during infancy have increased risk for illness, examine how female Datoga caregivers use perceptions of infant vulnerability to make decisions about the allocation of care, and study how changing household production demands affect maternal care giving strategies. Data to test hypotheses concerning infant health and caretaking will be collected using focus groups, individual structured interviews, behavioral observations, and infant health evaluations. Hypotheses about the relationship between household production demands and caregiver-infant interaction will be tested. The broader impacts of the research involve sharing findings with the local clinics/hospitals, district health officials, and the Tanzanian Ministry of Health. By sharing research results, working closely with local clinics and hospitals, and incorporating the local Datoga community into the research implementation, the project will help to foster international collaboration and research while remaining sensitive to local concerns.
