Anthropometcic measurements and 24h-recall interviews were conducted on Dene/Metis and Yukon children, and food choice questionnaire interviews were conducted on the mothers of the children. On average, 32% of the children were above the 85th percentile of BMI-for-age in the 2000 CDC Growth Charts. The dietary nutrient intakes were compared to the DRI values. Vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, vitamin E, dietary fiber, omega-6 fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids, and magnesium intakes were low. Excessive nutrient intake was not observed. Imbalance of energy intake from carbohydrate and fat and excessive energy intake from total sugar and saturated fat were observed. Market foods were a major part of the diet. Traditional food contributed 4.6% of total energy intake. Frequently mentioned factors as having an influence on food selection were cost, health, children's preference and acceptability, traditional food and market food availability, and women's preference.

This secondary data analysis used a cross-sectional survey of 1771 Yukon First Nations, Dene/Metis, and Inuit women. The aims were to evaluate access to traditional food (TF) and market food (MF), identify perceived advantages of TF and MF, and explore under-studied characteristics of FS in Arctic Canada. Results indicate considerable regional variation in ability to afford adequate food, varying between 26 and 58%. Similarly, regional variation was reflected in the percentage of women who had access to hunting or fishing equipment. Participants described culturally relevant FS indicators: food needed to be natural, fresh, tasty, varied, healthy, safe, accessible, and convenient. Between 10 and 38% of participants noticed recent changes in the quality or health of TFs. Caribou, moose, and seal were popular TFs and considered particularly healthy. This study emphasizes the importance of TF for Arctic indigenous women's FS and the dynamic nature of FS in this population.

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Chronic non-communicable diseases related to excessive or unbalanced dietary intakes are on the rise among some Indigenous populations in Canada. Nutritional problems of Indigenous peoples arise in the transition from a traditional diet to a market diet characterised by highly processed foods with reduced nutrient density. This study used food frequency and 24-hour recall questionnaires to quantify traditional food intake in 18 communities in Denendeh (Western Northwest Territories) and the Yukon. These data allowed comparisons between the two regions (Yukon and Denendeh) and the two seasons of data collection (summer and winter, perceived to be the seasons of highest and lowest traditional food intake, respectively). Food choice in general is affected by a multitude of factors determined by individual, societal and environmental influences. In this study, individual, household, and community correlates of traditional food intake were assessed in order to construct a multivariate statistical model to describe the correlates of the quantity and diversity of traditional food intake in the Western Canadian Arctic. The variables used in this study reflected household demography, market food affordability, access to traditional food, individual characteristics such as age and gender, and perceptions about traditional food. The analysis of the associations between the traditional food correlates and traditional food intake in terms of quantity and diversity allowed for the description of the profile of men and women who are high consumers of traditional food in both regions. This study described and used a tool to measure traditional food diversity, which may be an appropriate indicator of the process of dietary change experienced by Indigenous Peoples in Denendeh and the Yukon.

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