Departmental Affiliations
Center & Institute Affiliations
Mika Matsuzaki, PhD, MPH, MS, is a life-course epidemiologist studying how policies, built environments, and equity affect nutrition-related chronic diseases and obesity.
Research Interests
Diet Quality; Whole Grains; Youth Obesity; Food systems; Food environment; School Nutrition Policy; Lifecourse Epidemiology; Nutrition Transition; Food Composition Data
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Experiences & Accomplishments
I am a nutritional epidemiologist interested in ways to reduce cardiometabolic diseases and obesity by facilitating transition towards healthier lifestyles through systemic and environmental interventions. My research primarily focuses on governmental nutrition policies and food environment for children and adolescents.
My current research portfolio includes:
1) Evaluation of state and federal school nutrition policies in relation to youth overweight/obesity in the U.S.
2) Assessment of whole grain consumption among Asian schoolchildren
3) Assessment of food environment near schools in Maryland (Baltimore food Environment for Adolescents (B'EAt) study)
4) Development of a global food composition database with an emphasis on data from LMICs
Select Publications
My research investigates systemic, environmental, and individual determinants of diet and nutrition-related chronic diseases. In addition, I am interested in improving interoperability of food composition databases from low and middle income countries.
Matsuzaki M, Sánchez BN, Rebanal RD, Gittelsohn J, Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV. California and federal school nutrition policies and obesity among children of Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Filipino origins: Interrupted time series analysis. PLOS Medicine Public Library of Science; 2021;18:e1003596.
Matsuzaki M, Sánchez BN, Acosta ME, Botkin J, Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV. Food environment near schools and body weight-A systematic review of associations by race/ethnicity, gender, grade, and socio-economic factors. Obes Rev. 2020;21(4):e12997. doi:10.1111/obr.12997
Matsuzaki M, Kuper H, Kulkarni B, et al. Life-course determinants of bone mass in young adults from a transitional rural community in India: the Andhra Pradesh Children and Parents Study (APCAPS). Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;99(6):1450-1459. doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.068791
Matsuzaki M, Kuper H, Kulkarni B, et al. Adolescent undernutrition and early adulthood bone mass in an urbanizing rural community in India. Arch Osteoporos. 2015;10:232. doi:10.1007/s11657-015-0232-5
Thornton K, Seals-Nutt K, Matsuzaki M. Introducing WikiFCD: Many Food Composition Tables in a Single Knowledge Base. InJOWO 2021.