Store-bought Foods Research Articles

Cash Economy and Store-Bought Food Biases in Food Security Assessments of Inuit Nunangat

Researchers, community organisations, and Inuit leaders increasingly question the suitability of methods to assess the prevalence of food insecurity in Inuit Nunangat (the Inuit homeland in Canada). Of particular contention is the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM), applied in modified form as part of Health Canada’s nationwide Canadian Community Health (CCHS) and Aboriginal Peoples Surveys. The 18-question HFSSM is the primary survey tool used by the Government of Canada to assess food security prevalence, yet the Module asks only about the affordability of store-bought foods (also termed ‘market foods’ elsewhere in literature) when collecting data to designate food security status. This is despite communities in Inuit Nunangat having complex ‘dual’ or ‘mixed’ food systems and foodways: relying on foods harvested from ancestral lands (country foods) in combination with store-bought foods to sustain mixed cash-subsistence economies and diets. Sourcing country foods requires money for the purchase of equipment and machinery. However, they also have numerous access and availability criteria dictated by non-financial factors. In this paper, we explore the problem of the monetary bias (the focus on an individual or household’s ability to purchase foods) in the HFSSM and discuss the knock-on effects of using monetary metrics as the sole means of measuring and monitoring food security in dual food environments. We contend that relying on monetary access as a measure presents an incomplete picture of the reality of food insecurity in Inuit Nunangat. Presently, there is little consideration of the nuance of social norms and cultural values that govern dual food systems or the importance of less tangible non-financial factors that might affect food access (e.g. knowledge of where and how to harvest and maintain machinery, suitable environmental conditions for travel, conducive harvest regulations, social relationships, and ecological stability). Ultimately, this contributes to restricted policy-level understandings of what it means to ensure stable, culturally adequate, and just food systems, and limits self-determination in northern food environments.

'Remoteness was a blessing, but also a potential downfall': traditional/subsistence and store-bought food access in remote Alaska during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study employs a strengths-based approach to assess food access in remote Alaska during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying both the negative consequences of the pandemic on store-bought and subsistence/traditional food access and compensatory strategies used. As a part of a larger study on the impacts of COVID-19 on daily life remote Alaskan communities, study data presented here were collected through key informant interviews (KII) and state-wide online surveys from 21 September 2020 to 31 March 2021 among remote Alaska community members. This study was conducted with residents of remote communities in Alaska, defined as those off the road system. Remote communities often have small or no grocery stores and rely on subsistence or traditional sources of food. KII participants (n 36) were majority female (78 %) and Alaska Native (57 %). Survey participants (n 615) were also majority female, 25-54 years old and most had had some post-secondary education or training. Survey and interview data revealed that the pandemic had significant negative impacts on store-bought food access in remote Alaskan communities. Individuals also shared that locally available and wild harvested foods acted as a buffer to some of the loss of access to these store-bought foods, with some people sharing that the harvesting of wild and traditional foods served as a coping strategy during times of pandemic-related stress. The results from this study demonstrate that the remoteness of some Alaskan communities has been both a source of vulnerability and protection in terms of food access.

Characterizing the development and dissemination of dietary messaging in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Northwest Territories

Public health communication about diet in Inuit communities must balance the benefits and risks associated with both country and store-bought food choices and processes to support Inuit well-being. An understanding of how dietary messages—public health communication addressing the health and safety of country and store-bought food—are developed and disseminated in the Arctic is currently lacking. As part of the Country Foods for Good Health study, this participatory research sought to characterize dietary messaging in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), Northwest Territories (NWT), from the perspective of territorial, regional and local dietary message disseminators to further improve message communication in the region. We conducted an in-person interview (n=1) (February 2020), telephone interviews (n=13) (May-June 2020), and follow-up telephone interviews (n=5) (June 2021) with key informants about their involvement in developing and/or disseminating dietary messages about the health benefits and risks of country foods and/or store-bought foods in/for the ISR. Key informants interviewed included health professionals (n=5), government employees (n=6) and community nutrition or food program coordinators (n=3) located in Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, Paulatuk and Yellowknife, NWT. We conducted a thematic analysis on the 19 interviews. Our findings indicate that publicly disseminated dietary messages in the ISR are developed at all scales and communicated through a variety of methods. Dietary messages focus predominantly on encouraging healthy store-bought food choices and conveying nutritional advice about store-bought and country foods. As federal and territorial messaging is seldom tailored to the ISR, representation of the Inuvialuit food system and consideration of local food realities is generally lacking. There is a need to evaluate dietary messages and improve collaborations among Inuvialuit country food knowledge holders, researchers, and public health dietary message disseminators at all scales to develop more locally tailored and culturally relevant messaging in the ISR. We recommend utilizing a participatory, collaborative, culture-centered approach to dietary message development and dissemination in northern Indigenous contexts.

Impacts of harvested species declines on Indigenous Peoples’ food sovereignty, well-being and ways of life: a case study of Anishinaabe perspectives and moose

Global declines in wildlife are increasing the vulnerability of Indigenous communities to food insecurity. Meanwhile, many colonial policies continue to ignore social-ecological relationships that have traditionally maintained a balance between wildlife and Indigenous Peoples’ subsistence needs. We provide a case study on perspectives and insights from three Anishinaabe Nations in Ontario, Canada on the importance of a traditional food, moose (<em>mooz</em> [Nishnaabemowin]; <em>Alces alces</em>), and how changes in the moose population are affecting food security, well-being, and ways of life. In partnership with each Nation, we conducted interviews with community members and related observations on change in the moose population to estimates of moose abundance and non-Indigenous harvest collected by the Ontario provincial government over a 16-year time frame (2001–2016). Moose was described as important for subsistence needs as well as for maintaining Anishinabek culture, traditions, and identity within each community. A decline in the moose population was observed by most participants, which corresponded with provincial data on moose abundance. Additionally, the number of non-Indigenous hunters per moose harvested on traditional territories increased linearly over time, and community members expressed concern over how the province was managing moose. The effects of moose decline in the communities included reduced food security and health, increased financial costs due to both relying more on store-bought foods and having to travel further to harvest moose, as well as a decline in the practice of traditions and ceremonies surrounding moose harvest and passing this knowledge on to younger generations. Despite the potential impacts on Indigenous subsistence harvest, there is a lack of collaborative decision-making with Indigenous communities on moose population and harvest management in Ontario. Using community perspectives and insights, we discuss how autonomous moose monitoring can support and facilitate co-management and collaborative decision-making to reinstate Indigenous food sovereignty.

Nutrient adequacy and nutrient sources of adults among ninety-two First Nations communities across Canada

ObjectivesTo identify food sources of nutrients in First Nations adults in Canada and to establish whether these populations are meeting their nutrient requirements and whether traditional foods (TF) contribute to better nutrient intake.MethodsThe First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study is a cross-Canada participatory study of First Nations adults living south of the 60th parallel. Twenty-four-hour recalls were conducted in 92 First Nations communities from 2008 to 2016. Repeat recalls were attempted with 20% of participants to adjust for within-person variation and estimate the proportion of individuals below recommendations according to Institute of Medicine guidelines. Nutrients from days with and without TF were compared. The main food sources of select nutrients were identified, including TF.ResultsMean energy intakes among women and men ranged from 1664 to 1864 and from 1761 to 2298 kcal/day respectively. Most macronutrients were within the acceptable macronutrient diet range except for fat in most age groups and carbohydrates in men 71 years of age and older. Saturated fat was above recommendations for all ages. Only niacin was identified as above recommendations in all age and sex categories. Days where TF were eaten showed greater intakes of key nutrients.ConclusionIt is imperative that we find culturally appropriate ways to improve the quality and nutritional value of First Nations Peoples food intake by improving TF access and use on the one hand and conversely providing better quality store-bought foods. For success in this, we must empower First Nations communities and health practitioners to collaboratively overcome these challenges.

Blood mercury and plasma polychlorinated biphenyls concentrations in pregnant Inuit women from Nunavik: Temporal trends, 1992–2017

The Inuit of Nunavik (Northern Quebec, Canada) are exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury (Hg) through their consumption of marine country foods. A temporal trend study was initiated in 1992 to monitor circulating levels of PCBs and Hg in pregnant Inuit women, since the fetus is most at risk of adverse health effects. We set out (1) to describe temporal trends of PCBs and Hg levels in pregnant Nunavik women between 1992 and 2017; (2) to determine the prevalence of participants exceeding the guidance values in 2017; (3) to investigate relations between marine country food intake and contaminant levels over the study period. A total of 559 pregnant women provided a blood sample for contaminant analysis from 1992 to 2017. PCB congeners were quantified in plasma (serum) by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to electron capture detection or mass spectrometry (MS). We determined whole blood mercury concentration by cold vapor atomic absorption or inductively-coupled plasma MS. We performed multilevel modeling to assess temporal trends in contaminant levels and relations with marine country food consumption. Concentrations of total PCBs and Hg decreased by 84% and 65% between 1992 and 2017, respectively. Nevertheless, 10% and 22% of women in 2017 exceeded guidance values for PCBs and Hg, respectively. While the decline in marine country food intake is the only factor associated with decreasing Hg levels, other factors may explain the decline in PCB levels. Despite the significant decline in PCBs and Hg levels from 1992 to 2017, exposure to these contaminants is still quite prevalent among pregnant Nunavik women. Most of the decline in Hg exposure is likely due to a shift away from marine country foods to store-bought foods, which is a concern given the cultural and nutritional importance of country foods and the high food insecurity that prevails in Nunavik.

북극의 기후변화와 이누이트의 먹거리 미보장 실태 -캐나다 케임브리지 베이를 사례로-

The aim of this research is to analyze the level of food insecurity of Inuit in the area of Nunavut territory in Canada. As a result, we were able to find out the following facts. First, nearly half of them felt hungry due to lack of food as of 2018. Second, the food situation was getting worse year by year. In the four years from 2014 to 2018, the growth rate of food insecurity households reached 22.0%. Third, proportion of children under 18 who lived in food insecure households reached 78.7%. Starving children had low self-esteem, suffered from depression and had a very high suicide rate. Fourth, most of Inuit’s food tables were filled with store-bought foods, rather than country foods. Fifth, the food sovereignty of Inuit community was seriously threatened with local capacity of self-sufficiency being low, market-dependent being high, and political exclusion from the policy decision being severe. Two things needed to be kept in mind in order to solve this Inuit’s food insecurity efficiently. First, in addition to environmental factors such as climate change, food issues are interconnected and affected by socioeconomic, cultural and policy factors. Second, policy intervention in the food issues should be centered on the Inuit party in accordance with human rights and food sovereignty perspectives.

Tackling the question of micronutrients intake as one of the main levers in terms of Inuit food security.

The Inuit population living in North Canada is facing a drastic change in lifestyle, which has brought about a dramatic nutrition transition characterized by a decrease in the traditional foods consumption and an increasing reliance on processed, store-bought foods. This rapid dietary shift leads to a significant public health concern, as wild-harvested country foods are rich in many micronutrients including vitamins, trace elements and minerals while the most frequently eaten Western foods mainly provide energy, fat, carbohydrates and sodium. This review addresses the emerging strategies to tackle food insecurity in this population. Recent studies indicate that diets with a higher fraction of traditional foods (and a lower fraction of ultra-processed foods) exhibit a better Healthy Eating Index. This provides a basis to develop new dietary policies anchored in contemporary food realities. In Northern remote communities, improving food security requires holistic approaches. A mixed strategy that targets the revitalization of traditional foods systems and local food production initiatives seems the most promising strategy, to meet the dietary needs in terms of micronutrients, with respect to the cultural identity of local populations.

Characterization of Endophytic Microbial Communities in Store-Bought Kale Evaluated by Different Plant Tissue Homogenization Methods

Endophytic microorganisms live in intercellular and vascular spaces of plants and span the continuum from beneficial to pathogenic in both plants and animals. Increasing human consumption of fruits and vegetables has placed an emphasis on identifying and studying those microbes that colonize the internal tissues of plants, with a goal of limiting populations of enteric pathogens in store-bought foods meant for raw consumption, such as leafy greens. Culture-independent (i.e., metagenomic) methods are increasingly used to obtain an accurate snapshot of plant microbial communities, yet technical hurdles limit the accuracy and throughput of these methods. This includes the low-throughput nature of plant tissue maceration, and the prevalence of plant plastid DNA in metagenomic DNA extracts, which is typically coamplified via PCR strategies that target the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. In this study, we use kale (Brassica oleracea) as a model to explore the leafy green endophytic microbiome and to compare how two tissue maceration techniques used in traditional endophyte research compare in culture-independent microbiome studies using the Illumina Miseq platform. Three different brands of store-bought kale were surface sterilized and subjected to two tissue maceration strategies: enzyme digestion and blender processing. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries revealed two highly abundant operational taxonomic units present in all libraries, one classified to the genus Pseudomonas and one to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Community structure and membership were highly similar among brands and between tissue maceration strategies, suggesting that both enzyme digestion and blender processing are suitable methods. Nonetheless, enzyme digestion may increase sample throughput and minimize steps involved in sample processing.

Socioeconomic impacts of a sea cucumber fishery in Papua New Guinea: Is there an opportunity for mariculture?

Small-scale fisheries provide many benefits to coastal communities in the Indo-Pacific region, including food security, improved nutrition and cash income. However, increasing engagement with the global economy is exerting additional pressure on marine resources and opportunities to engage in alternative livelihoods are often limited by remoteness and a lack of land-based farming opportunities. Bêche-de-mer, the dried body wall of sea cucumber, is a valuable marine export commodity in the region, and an important cash-earning activity in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Sea cucumber mariculture (or holothuriculture), based on the high-value species, sandfish (Holothuria scabra), is also a promising community livelihood. Overfishing of sea cucumber in PNG led the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) to impose a moratorium on the fishery in October 2009. The fishery was reopened in 2017 for less than two months. This article presents socioeconomic data generated before, during and after the 2017 sea cucumber fishing season in three villages in New Ireland Province, PNG, which are also partners in a community-based sandfish mariculture project. The fishery dominated the economies of all three communities while it was open. Increased income was accompanied by high consumption of store-bought foods and purchase of other assets intended to increase living standards. Drawing on current understandings of local culture and political economy, together with the results from the 2017 wild sea cucumber fishery, we discuss how a livelihood based on holothuriculture could coexist with the wild fishery to increase benefits to coastal communities in PNG.

Carbohydrate-related nutritional and genetic risks of obesity for indigenous northerners

By the end of the 2010-s the prevalence of obesity among the indigenous people of the North approached to the all-Russia one and the speed of the spread of other metabolic disorders exceeded the average all-country levels. Aim of this review is to analyze data on the increase in consumption and variety of sugars coupled with a genetic specificity of regulation of saccharidase activity and their possible impact on the matters. Results. It have been shown that the traditional protein-lipid-based northern type diet has substantially changed and now contains a high proportion of carbohydrates. The carbohydrate per capita consumption among the indigenous people of the North has reached the all-Russia average level (40 kg per year) which exceeds the European average of 36.2 kg per year. The variety of food disaccharides has also considerably increased. The daily consumption of sucrose, at the beginning of the 20th century it was the only sugar contained in the store-bought foods, increased from 30 g in the 1930s to 63-65 g in the 1990s. In addition, the proportion of sucrose dropped to 60-70 per cent, while the contribution of other disaccharides (lactose, trehalose) reached 30-40 per cent. Daily starch consumption has also increased and got close to the national average (males 228.5 g, females 157.5 g per day). Such a diet in itself increases the risk of metabolic disorders and obesity. The high prevalence of the genotypes that determine reduced levels or inability to produce sucrase-isomaltase, lactase, trehalase, salivary and pancreatic amylases among northerners becomes a negative cofactor. The evolutionary driven and embodied in genotype reduced ability of the indigenous Arctic people to digest complex carbohydrates is in a conflict with the growing consumption of sugars and starchy foods in modern conditions. The northern people have a high proportion of carriers of the AG deletion in SI gene (3.5-14.3% against 0.05-0.2% among Europeans) which determines malabsorption of sucrose. The CC/LCT genotype (96.6% in northerners, 36-49% in Russians) presumes lactose intolerance and is associated with the risk of childhood obesity. The occurrence of A allele in the rs2276064 locus of TREH gene (trehalose intolerance; 31.3-58.9% in northerners, 1.9% in Europeans) increases the probability of the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. According to preliminary estimates, 28-52% of the northerners completely lost AMY gene that precludes or drastically reduces the ability to digest starch. A reduction in the number of copies of AMY gene (the average number of copies AMY2A - 4, in, in northerners it is 1.0-1.4) is associated with overweight and obesity. Conclusion. The analysis shows that, in the case of the modern indigenous northerners, nutritional and genetic risks of metabolic disorders accumulate.

Traditional Food Practices, Attitudes, and Beliefs in Urban Alaska Native Women Receiving WIC Assistance

ObjectiveTo identify practices, attitudes, and beliefs associated with intake of traditional foods among Alaska Native women. DesignCross-sectional study that measured traditional food intake; participation in food-sharing networks; presence of a hunter or fisherman in the home; the preference, healthfulness, and economic value of traditional foods; and financial barriers to obtaining these foods. ParticipantsPurposive sample of 71 low-income Alaska Native women receiving Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) assistance in Anchorage, AK. AnalysisBivariate and multivariate regression analyses. ResultsTraditional foods contributed 4% of total daily calories. Given a choice, 63% of participants indicated that they would prefer half or more of the foods they ate to be traditional (ie, not store-bought). The majority of participants (64%) believed that traditional foods were healthier than store-bought foods. Of all participants, 72% relied on food-sharing networks for traditional foods; only 21% acquired traditional foods themselves. Participants who ate more traditional foods preferred traditional foods (B = .011 P = .02). Implications for Research and PracticeTraditional food intake was low and findings suggested that Alaska Native women living in an urban setting prefer to consume more but are unable to do so. Future research might examine the effect of enhancing social networks and implementing policies that support traditional food intake.

Food, Nutrition and Food Security in First Nations Communities

In the general Canadian population, household food insecurity is estimated at 9% and often cited as too high for a high-income country. In parallel, the First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study (FNFNES), a 10-year study, investigated food security levels in 6487 households on 93 reserves across Canada south of the 60th parallel using the same tool in national Canadian surveys, the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) and found very high rates of food insecurity, ranging from a low of 29% in reserves in Ontario and a high of 47% in reserves in Alberta. These unacceptably high levels are associated with high levels of obesity (BMI &amp;#8805;30) among adults (42%-52%) and equally high rates of self-reported diabetes (17-26%). Moreover, diets in all surveyed regions did not meet, on average, Health Canada&amp;#8217;s recommendations. In many First Nations communities, traditional food (TF), that is food harvested from the local environment, continues to hold a special cultural and spiritual importance, even if its consumption is low, relatively to food items purchased from the store. This low consumption can be explained by the many barriers reported by the survey participants (climate change, cost of equipment, lack of time, economic activities such as mining and agriculture, etc.). In addition, most participants reported desiring more TF in their diet, indicating another form of food insecurity associated with lack of access to TF. On the other hand, and despite the nutrition transition away from a traditional food system towards a diet dominated by store-bought foods, TF continues to contribute significantly to intakes of macronutrients and several micronutrients of concern in this population, highlighting its great nutritional importance. Preserving the quality of TF and ensuring access are of paramount importance if solutions to the worrying rates in food insecurity and chronic disease are to be found.

“Aboriginal isn't just about what was before, it's what's happening now:” Perspectives of Indigenous peoples on the foods in their contemporary diets

Health promotion materials for Indigenous peoples generally recommend that Indigenous people incorporate more “traditional” foods into their diets, referring to foods that are hunted, fished or gathered from the local environment. Little scholarly attention has focused on which foods Indigenous peoples themselves consider to be traditional, or the socio-cultural significance of their contemporary food patterns. The purpose of this project was to hear the voices of Indigenous peoples about the significance, meanings, and values of foods they eat, and what they consider to be traditional foods. Participants self-identified as Aboriginal people living in or near Terrace, BC were asked to photograph everyday foods, which were then used in semi-structured interviews. Themes identified in preliminary analysis were shared with seven of the original participants in a focus group. Key issues included barriers to access and use of locally gathered foods, and concerns about environmental contaminants in wild food. Participants spontaneously spoke of food in terms of health, but had to be prompted to discuss traditional food. While locally gathered, fished and hunted foods were clearly seen as traditional, the status of other foods was more contested. Case studies of specific foods revealed how participants imagined traditional foods, and also how these were combined with store-bought foods in inventive ways to produce culturally-significant fusion or hybrid foods. Our findings reflect the vibrancy and resilience of Indigenous cultures, and suggest that we reconsider some of the dominant assumptions that inform research and health promotion activities targetting Indigenous peoples.

‘Feeding our families; that’s what we have been doing for centuries’

Inuit families in the Canadian North use a mixed food system, combining country and store-bought foods. However, the Inuit food system is more complex than the combination of market and country food; it encompasses a whole set of sociocultural relations. Using a sociocultural and gender perspective, this paper explores contemporary food-sharing practices focusing on access to market foods, the flow and the specific ways they are shared in the Baffin region, Nunavut. While results show that store foods are shared with extended family members and within the community, the sharing of market foods is not regulated through similar mechanisms as country foods, and is not fully integrated in the Inuit traditional resource sharing system (ningiqtuq). Also, women are shown to play a key role in accessing, transforming and sharing southern foods. Through their wages, women are reproducing the normative sharing behaviour that underpins subsistence as a social economy, albeit through a novel medium. The paper suggests that modern Inuit food practice is articulated around a new gender dynamic that challenges traditional social configuration.

Trends in racial/ethnic and income disparities in foods and beverages consumed and purchased from stores among US households with children, 2000–2013 ,

Background: It is unclear whether racial/ethnic and income differences in foods and beverages obtained from stores contribute to disparities in caloric intake over time.Objective: We sought to determine whether there are disparities in calories obtained from store-bought consumer packaged goods (CPGs), whether brands (name brands compared with private labels) matter, and if disparities have changed over time.Design: We used NHANES individual dietary intake data among households with children along with the Nielsen Homescan data on CPG purchases among households with children. With NHANES, we compared survey-weighted energy intakes for 2003–2006 and 2009–2012 from store and nonstore sources by race/ethnicity [non-Hispanic whites (NHWs), non-Hispanic blacks (NHBs), and Hispanic Mexican-Americans) and income [≤185% federal poverty line (FPL), 186–400% FPL, and >400% FPL]. With the Nielsen data, we compared 2000–2013 trends in calories purchased from CPGs (obtained from stores) across brands by race/ethnicity (NHW, NHB, and Hispanic) and income. We conducted random-effect models to derive adjusted trends and differences in calories purchased (708,175 observations from 64,709 unique households) and tested whether trends were heterogeneous by race/ethnicity or income.Results: Store-bought foods and beverages represented the largest component of dietary intake, with greater decreases in energy intakes in nonstore sources for foods and in store sources for beverages. Beverages from stores consistently decreased in all subpopulations. However, in adjusted models, reductions in CPG calories purchased in 2009–2012 were slower for NHB and low-income households than for NHW and high-income households, respectively. The decline in calories from name-brand food purchases was slower among NHB, Hispanic, and lowest-income households. NHW and high-income households had the highest absolute calories purchased in 2000.Conclusions: Across 2 large data sources, we found decreases in intake and purchases of beverages from stores across racial/ethnic and income groups. However, potentially beneficial reductions in calories purchased were more pronounced in some subgroups over others.

Toward a Scalable and Sustainable Intervention for Complementary Food Safety

Contaminated complementary foods are associated with diarrhea and malnutrition among children aged 6 to 24 months. However, existing complementary food safety intervention models are likely not scalable and sustainable. To understand current behaviors, motivations for these behaviors, and the potential barriers to behavior change and to identify one or two simple actions that can address one or few food contamination pathways and have potential to be sustainably delivered to a larger population. Data were collected from 2 rural sites in Bangladesh through semistructured observations (12), video observations (12), in-depth interviews (18), and focus group discussions (3). Although mothers report preparing dedicated foods for children, observations show that these are not separate from family foods. Children are regularly fed store-bought foods that are perceived to be bad for children. Mothers explained that long storage durations, summer temperatures, flies, animals, uncovered food, and unclean utensils are threats to food safety. Covering foods, storing foods on elevated surfaces, and reheating foods before consumption are methods believed to keep food safe. Locally made cabinet-like hardware is perceived to be acceptable solution to address reported food safety threats. Conventional approaches that include teaching food safety and highlighting benefits such as reduced contamination may be a disincentive for rural mothers who need solutions for their physical environment. We propose extending existing beneficial behaviors by addressing local preferences of taste and convenience.

Impacts of decline harvest of country food on nutrient intake among Inuit in Arctic Canada: impact of climate change and possible adaptation plan

BackgroundThe pervasive food insecurity and the diet transition away from local, nutrient-rich country foods present a public health challenge among Inuit living in the Canadian Arctic. While environmental factors such as climate change decreased the accessibility and availability of many country food species, new species were introduced into regions where they were previously unavailable. An adaptation such as turning to alternate country food species can be a viable solution to substitute for the nutrients provided by the declined food species. The objective of this study was to estimate the impact on nutrient intake using hypothetical scenarios that current commonly harvested country foods were reduced by 50%, and were replaced with alternate or new species.MethodsData collected during the 2007–2008 Inuit Health Survey from 36 Canadian Arctic communities spanning Nunavut, the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and Nunatsiavut were used.ResultsA 50% decline in consumption of fish, whale, ringed seals and birds (the food that was reported to be in decline) resulted in a significant decrease in essential nutrient intake. Possible substitute foods were identified but some nutrients such as zinc and especially vitamin D were most often found lacking in the alternative diet. ConclusionsIf the alternative species are not available or feasible, more expensive and less nutritionally dense store-bought foods may be sought. Given the superior quality of country foods and their association with food security, and Inuit cultural health and personal identity, developing skills and awareness for adaptation, promoting regional sharing networks, forming a co-management agency and continuing nutritional monitoring may potentially preserve the nutritional integrity of Inuit diet, and in turn their health and cultural survival.

Determinants of dietary behavior and physical activity among Canadian Inuit: a systematic review.

BackgroundIncreased dependence on Western diets and low physical activity have largely contributed to weight gain and associated chronic diseases in the Canadian Inuit population. The purpose of this study was to systematically review factors influencing dietary and physical activity behaviors to guide health promotion interventions and provide recommendations for future studies.MethodWe conducted a systematic literature review to identify relevant articles. Searches were conducted between May 2014 and July 2014, and inclusive of articles published up until July 2014. Articles were searched using four databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, SocINDEX, and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Eligible studies focused on diet and/or physical activity or determinants of diet and/or physical activity in Canadian Inuit population, and were published in English.ResultsA total of 45 articles were included in the analysis. A detailed appraisal of the articles suggested that many Inuit have disconnected from the traditional ways of life, including harvesting and processing of traditional food species and the associated physical activity. In the last two decades there has been a significant shift from consumption of healthy traditional foods to energy-dense store-bought foods particularly among younger Inuit (<50 years of age). Additionally, low socioeconomic status (SES) and high transportation cost affect food accessibility and contribute to poor dietary choices in the population. However, a few articles that described the mediating role of psychosocial factors reported that higher SES, increased healthful food knowledge, and self-efficacy towards healthy dietary behavior, were associated with greater intentions to make healthier food choices and participate in physical activity.ConclusionIt is evident that the rapid social, cultural, and environmental changes in the Arctic have altered dietary and physical activity behaviors of Canadian Inuit. However, our understanding is limited on how these behaviours might be influenced in the face of these changes. Prospective studies are needed to advance our knowledge of cognitive and environmental determinants of Inuit energy balance-related behaviours. These studies can inform the development of health promotion interventions in the population.

Confronting the Growing Crisis of Cardiovascular Disease and Heart Health Among Aboriginal Peoples in Canada

Although the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been decreasing worldwide, Aboriginal populations of Canada (including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples) continue to experience a rapidly growing burden of CVD morbidity and mortality. This article provides a succinct summary of the current crisis of CVD among Canadian Aboriginal peoples, including how and why it originated, elucidates the underlying population health risks driving higher rates of aboriginal CVD, and articulates the urgent need for community-engagement solutions and innovations in the areas of prevention, treatment and care, rehabilitation services, aboriginal-specific CVD surveillance, and advanced knowledge. In the past, particularly in rural and remote communities, Aboriginal Peoples' survival depended (and often still does) on hunting, fishing, and other forms of traditional food-gathering. However, the traditional life is being changed for many Aboriginal communities, resulting in significantly impaired dietary options and the undermining of a long-established way of life that was healthy and physically active. Reclaiming CVD health and well-being requires replacement of the calorie-dense and nutritionally inadequate diets of highly processed store-bought foods with fresh and nutritionally balanced diets and addressing the physically inactive lifestyles that together have contributed to an increase in CVD prevalence. Furthermore, disparities exist for hospital-based treatment experiences for patients from areas with high proportions of Aboriginal Peoples vs those with low proportions of Aboriginal Peoples. It is crucial to investigate and develop concrete plans to reduce the burden of CVDs among Aboriginal Peoples by improved prevention and treatment in a community-centred way.