Obesogenic Cultural Drift and Nutritional Transition

Companion, Michele

doi:10.1177/1936724412467022

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…During this era, many Native youth were also sent to boarding schools, where they were encouraged to forget their tribal connections and where the staples of the standard institutional diet embodied Anglo ideals of foodways and nutrition, centering around starches and dairy for students who were previously used to diets centered around fresh and dried meats, fruits, and vegetables (Bess 2013). Urban relocation programs in the 1950s brought Native people from rural reservations to urban centers for employment opportunities, but this move often left families food insecure (Companion 2013; Jernigan 2012) and was another means by which Native people were dislocated from their traditional diets.…”

Section: Discussion: Native American Perspectives On Traditional Ecolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Native American Perspectives on Health and Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Isaac

Finn

Joe

et al. 2018

Environ Health Perspect

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Background: Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is a conceptual framework that highlights Indigenous knowledge (IK) systems. Although scientific literature has noted the relevance of TEK for environmental research since the 1980s, little attention has been given to how Native American (NA) scholars engage with it to shape tribal-based research on health, nor how non-Native scholars can coordinate their approaches with TEK. This coordination is of particular importance for environmental health sciences (EHS) research exploring interdisciplinary approaches and the integration of environmental and human health. Objective: Our perspective on TEK arose from a series of Health and Culture Research Group (HCRG) workshops that identified gaps in existing EHS methodologies that are based on a reliance on Euro-American concepts for assessing environmental exposures in tribal communities. These prior methods neither take into account cultural behavior nor community responses to these. Our objective is to consider NA perspectives on TEK when analyzing relationships between health and the environment and to look at how these may be applied to address this gap. Discussion: The authors—the majority of whom are NA scholars—highlight two research areas that consider health from a TEK perspective: food systems and knowledge of medicinal plants. This research has yielded data, methods, and knowledge that have helped Indigenous communities better define and reduce health risks and protect local natural food resources, and this TEK approach may prove of value to EHS research. Conclusion: NA perspectives on TEK resulting from the HCRG workshops provide an opportunity for developing more accurate Indigenous health indicators (IHI) reflecting the conceptualizations of health maintained in these communities. This approach has the potential to bridge the scientific study of exposure with methods addressing a tribal perspective on the sociocultural determinants of health, identifying potential new areas of inquiry in EHS that afford nuanced evaluations of exposures and outcomes in tribal communities. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1944

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Section: Discussion: Native American Perspectives On Traditional Ecolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Native American Perspectives on Health and Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Isaac

Finn

Joe

et al. 2018

Environ Health Perspect

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“…64 to Euro/Western cultures related to loss of traditional foods has been implicated in rising diabetes and obesity rates for American Indians. 69 Manoomin loss may also be an additional burden for the urban tribal population who already face increased rates of acculturation driven by lack of traditional food accessibility. Damages to cultural practices surrounding ma-…”

Section: Wild Rice Health Benefits: Psychological Valuementioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating Indigenous Futures with the Mississippi River

2020

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“…Commodity cheese and flour are a regular part of the Nevada tribal diet, but were not part of the traditional foods systems of these tribes. Research that assessed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) indicates that WIC food vouchers have a significant effect on the behavior of children who participate in the program eating processed foods (Companion, 2013). Revising the WIC food vouchers to allow the purchase of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains led to increased consumption of healthful foods among American Indian children (Companion, 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This raises questions regarding access to foods among American Indians, and whether access determines diet. Food consumption among poorer populations and American Indians mirrors that of nutritional evolution dominated by access to prepackaged foods high in fat, sugar, sodium, and with an extended shelf life (Companion, 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%