Use of and Preference for Traditional Foods among the Belcher Island Inuit

Wein, Eleanor E.; Freeman, Milton M. R.; Makus, Jeanette C.

doi:10.14430/arctic1201

Cited by 64 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Young Indigenous people are consuming less traditional food than older individuals, indicating that a dietary transition is occurring consistent with previous reports in Nunavik (10), Baffin Island (9), Belcher Islands (42) and more recently among the Cree of James Bay, Quebec (20). Age-related dietary transition is driven by the interplay among multiple factors, such as age differences in food preference (43); greater representation of younger adults in the workforce, leaving them less time for hunting and harvesting activities (43); and customs of providing traditional food to an elder as an expression of respect (42).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Highly unsaturated n-3 fatty acids status of Canadian Inuit: International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey, 2007–2008

Zhou

Kubow

Egeland

2011

International Journal of Circumpolar Health

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Objectives. Previous studies suggest that dietary patterns and the extent of reliance upon traditional food vary among Inuit communities. Inuit traditional foods are an important source of nutrients such as highly unsaturated n-3 fatty acids (HUFA n-3), whose beneficial effects include protection against ischemic heart disease. Dietary transition is occurring with younger generations consuming less traditional foods and more market foods with low nutrient density. Utilizing erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition as an indicator of body HUFA n-3 status, which reflects dietary intake levels of traditional Inuit foods, we explored the regional and age variability of highly unsaturated n-3 fatty acids (HUFA n-3) in the International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey. Study design. Cross-sectional health survey. Methods. Participants were recruited through random sampling of households. Fatty acid data were available among 2,200 adults (≥18 yr). Results. HUFA n-3 levels in the Eastern Arctic were significantly higher than in the Western Arctic, with Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador) and Baffin showing the highest HUFA n-3 status compared to Kivalliq, Kitikmeot and Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) (p<0.0001). Fatty acid proportion in erythrocyte membranes showed pronounced differences between coastal communities and inland communities, including a higher HUFA n-3 status among the coastal communities (p<0.0001). Additionally, the HUFA n-3 status showed a strong positive association with age, particularly in Baffin and Kivalliq. HUFA n-3 were inversely associated with saturated (ß=-0.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Highly unsaturated n-3 fatty acids status of Canadian Inuit: International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey, 2007–2008

Zhou

Kubow

Egeland

2011

International Journal of Circumpolar Health

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“…Questions about food preferences can provide information on the cultural and social importance of food (Wein et al, 1996). However, preference for traditional food is not a sufficient predictor of its consumption, as the availability of traditional food items depends on several factors, such as the time of the year, availability in the stores, and contact with hunters.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contemporary Use of Traditional and Imported Food among Greenlandic Inuit

Pars¹,

Osler²,

Bjerregaard³

2001

ARCTIC

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ABSTRACT. A health interview survey was carried out in Greenland in 1993-94 among randomly selected adult Inuit (N = 1580) to gather information about people's perceptions of their own health and living conditions. Questions about preference for and frequency of consumption of selected traditional and imported food items were included in the questionnaire. Preference ratings show that traditional food was well liked in all age groups, but especially by the elders. The questionnaire showed more pronounced differences between age groups in how frequently traditional foods were consumed. Residence in a village or a remote part of the country, male gender, and a traditional upbringing were also good predictors of a high consumption of traditional food. On average, seal meat was the most frequently consumed traditional food, eaten daily by 20% of respondents, followed by fish (17%), wildfowl (10%), whale meat (6%), and terrestrial animals (2%). Imported food items like potatoes, cheese, and fruit syrup were consumed daily by more than 70%. Two concerns for the future are the decreasing consumption of traditional food among the younger generations and the possible contribution of contaminants in traditional food to this trend.Key words: traditional food, diet, food preferences, food frequency questionnaire, Greenland, Inuit RÉSUMÉ. Une enquête par entrevue sur la santé a été menée au Groenland en 1993-1994 parmi des Inuits adultes (N = 1580) pris au hasard, afin de collecter de l'information sur la perception qu'avaient les gens de leur propre santé et de leurs conditions de vie. Le questionnaire portait entre autres sur la préférence pour certains aliments traditionnels et importés ainsi que sur la fréquence de leur consommation. Les taux de préférence montrent que les aliments traditionnels étaient très appréciés dans tous les groupes d'âges, mais surtout par les aînés. Le questionnaire révélait des différences plus nettes entre les groupes d'âges quant à la fréquence à laquelle les aliments traditionnels étaient consommés. Le fait d'habiter un village ou une région reculée du pays, l'appartenance au sexe masculin et une éducation traditionnelle étaient également de bons paramètres de prévision d'une grande consommation d'aliments traditionnels. En moyenne, la viande de phoque était l'aliment traditionnel consommé le plus fréquemment, soit sur une base quotidienne par 20 p. cent des répondants, suivie par le poisson (17 p. cent), le gibier à plume (10 p. cent), la viande de baleine (6 p. cent) et les animaux terrestres (2 p. cent). Des aliments importés comme la pomme de terre, le fromage et le sirop de fruit étaient consommés sur une base quotidienne par plus de 70 p. cent des répondants. La diminution chez les jeunes générations de la consommation d'aliments traditionnels et la contribution possible à cette tendance de la présence de contaminants dans les aliments traditionnels constituent deux sujets de préoccupation.Mots clés: alimentation traditionnelle, régime, préférences alimentaires, questionnaire portant s...

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“…According to preliminary results, contaminants are rarely mentioned as an important factor in food choice. However, results from the case study examined in this paper show that décisions based on the présence of contaminants in traditional foods are made earlier in the process, for example, when an animal is being See Kuhnlein (1995); Kuhnlein et al (2001);Milburn (2004); Wein and Freeman (1995); Wein et al (1996) for a further discussion of the benefits of a traditional diet. Communities located in the Western Arctic are less reliant upon a traditional diet than are those located in Nunavik and Nunavut.…”

Section: Linking Lead Exposure and Traditional Foodsmentioning

confidence: 84%

Gendered dimensions of environmental health, contaminants and global change in Nunavik, Canada

Kafarowski

2007

etudinuit

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Ainsi que l’a démontré la littérature universitaire au cours des deux dernières décennies, la pollution est une importante menace potentielle à la santé à court et à long terme des êtres humains et de l’environnement naturel de l’Arctique, de même qu’elle soulève des questions de justice sociale et environnementale. Certaines études ont établi un lien entre des polluants tels que les métaux lourds, les polluants organiques de longue durée et les radionucléides, et l’usage traditionnel des nourritures locales par les peuples autochtones, y compris les Inuit. Ayant, d’une multitude de manières, un impact nuisible sur les communautés inuit, ces polluants représentent l’une des manifestations du changement global à travers le Grand Nord circumpolaire. En prenant pour point d’investigation la communauté d’Inukjuak, Nunavik (nord du Québec), Canada, cet article examine les rôles des femmes et des hommes inuit dans leur participation aux activités de chasse et à l’identification des polluants-contaminants; il démontre comment les hommes et les femmes construisent différemment cette question cruciale des contaminants. L’article examine de plus pourquoi le fait d’inclure les perspectives des deux sexes est essentiel au développement de politiques, de stratégies et de programmes environnementaux efficaces en réponse à ces contaminants.As has been well-documented in the scholarly literature over the last two decades, contaminants pose a potentially significant threat to the short and long-term health of Arctic human and natural environments and raise questions of social and environmental justice. Studies link contaminants such as heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and radionuclides with the use of traditional country foods by Indigenous peoples including the Inuit. Adversely impacting Inuit communities in a myriad of ways, contaminants represent one manifestation of global change across the circumpolar North. Focusing on the community of Inukjuak, Nunavik (Northern Québec), Canada, this paper investigates the roles of Inuit women and men vis-à-vis participation in hunting activities and the identification of contaminants, and demonstrates how women and men construct the lead contaminant issue differently. Additionally, the paper explores why including the perspectives of both is critical to the development of effective environmental health policies, programs and strategies in response to these contaminants

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Use of and Preference for Traditional Foods among the Belcher Island Inuit

Cited by 64 publications

References 23 publications

Highly unsaturated n-3 fatty acids status of Canadian Inuit: International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey, 2007–2008

Highly unsaturated n-3 fatty acids status of Canadian Inuit: International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey, 2007–2008

Contemporary Use of Traditional and Imported Food among Greenlandic Inuit

Gendered dimensions of environmental health, contaminants and global change in Nunavik, Canada

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