IntroductionInuit Nunangat is the Inuit homeland in Canada. It is comprised of four Inuit regions. Inuit residing in these areas experience greater social and economic inequities than the general Canadian population. Food security exemplifies this inequity and is a distinct determinant of Inuit health. Policy can play an integral role in health equity. However, demonstrating this role can be a complex task, especially when there are both national and regionally specific policies pertaining to each of the Inuit regions. This scoping review will focus on Nunatsiavut, located in northern Labrador. This region is situated within a complex policy space due to the national, provincial and regional governance structures, geographical location and the breadth of factors pertaining to food security. This scoping review aims to identify the range of policies pertaining to food security in Nunatsiavut and complete a directed content analysis to code each policy against the applicable dimension of food security.Methods and analysisThe researchers will conduct a search strategy on the following four databases: MEDLINE (via Ovid), Embase (via Ovid), CINHAL and Scopus. A hand search of the relevant journals, conference abstracts and grey literature will be completed from April to October 2019. The following parameters will be extracted: a description of the policy, the organisation/institution that developed the policy, the definition of food security used or implied, and any stated intended targets or outcomes. The results will be compiled in a tabular form.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not required as primary data will not be collected. The findings from this scoping review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and public presentations. The results of this scoping review will be validated by a Nunatsiavut Government Advisory Group.

Inuit in Canada experience greater social and economic inequities than the general Canadian population. Food security exemplifies this inequity and is a distinct determinant of Inuit health. This scoping review focuses on food security-related policies implemented in Nunatsiavut, located in Northern Labrador. The primary objective was to identify the range of existing policies that pertain to food security in Nunatsiavut. The secondary objective was to complete a directed content analysis to map each policy against the applicable dimension of food security. This scoping review followed the Johanna Briggs methodology. The search strategy included the databases: Medline (via Ovid), EMBASE (via Ovid), CINAHL, and Scopus, and a hand search of the relevant journals, conference abstracts and grey literature. This search was undertaken from April 2019 – October 2019. A content analysis mapped each policy against the applicable dimension of food security. Results : The results showed that twenty five policies were identified, spanning three levels of government, that explicitly or implicitly addressed at least one dimension of food security. Accessibility was the most frequent food security dimension identified. The Government of Canada developed 60% of policies and the Nunatsiavut Government implemented 48% of policies. Most policies focused on proximal factors for food security. Identifying distal policies for food security and understanding the impact of existing policies in Nunatsiavut remain as areas of further investigation. Ethics and Dissemination :This project was reviewed by the Nunatsiavut Government Research Advisory Committee.

No abstract

Background The current low state of food security amongst Inuit in Canada is influenced by policy choices. Policy actors develop and implement policies, yet few research studies include their perspectives. This study includes policy actors’ perspectives on gaps and areas of improvement for policies that pertain to food security for Labrador Inuit in Nunatsiavut. Nunatsiavut is one of the four Inuit land claim areas in northern Canada making up the Inuit homeland, or Inuit Nunangat. It is situated in northern Labrador in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Methods This qualitative study consisted of key informant interviews conducted from July 2020-December 2020 with policy actors that spanned the Nunatsiavut Government (regional Inuit government), Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (provincial government), the Government of Canada (federal government), non-governmental organizations and private industry. Participants were asked about their role, policy gaps and opportunities for improving policies that pertain to food security in Nunatsiavut. It also included initial insights from emergency food security measures implemented during the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020. Results Fifteen key informant interviews were completed, and three participants provided written responses. The results were reported as per the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ): 32–item checklist. Seven participants (39%) stated they developed policy, six participants (33%) stated they both developed and implemented policy and five participants (28%) stated they implemented policy. Seven themes were identified from discussions with policy actors. Policy recommendations to improve food security include improving transportation, social policies, and policy coherence in policy implementation. Five separate themes were identified from discussions on implementing emergency food security measures during the first wave of COVID-19 in Nunatsiavut. These included inadequacy of social policies, hidden poverty among people living in Nunatsiavut and future considerations for post- COVID-19 food security policies. Conclusion The results of this study show that improving food security in Nunatsiavut is a matter of health equity. During COVID-19, these inequities were further highlighted, demonstrating the importance of urgent action. Findings from this study can inform actions to improve existing and future policies that pertain to food security for Labrador Inuit in Nunatsiavut.

No abstract