Regions: Sahtu Settlement Area
Tags: health, traditional food, market food, nutrition, food source
| Principal Investigator: | Simoneau, Nathalie (1) |
| Licence Number: | 12851 |
| Organization: | School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition Macdonald Campus of McGill University |
| Licensed Year(s): |
1996
|
| Issued: | Apr 29, 1996 |
| Project Team: | Patricia Pierrot |
Objective(s): Several studies conducted in various arctic populations particularly in the Dene/Metis communities of K'asho Got'ine and Kahbamitue, NWT, demonstrated a low consumption of vitamin A and calcium. Vitamin A, found as retinol in animal food sources or a carotene in vegetable food sources, play a very important role in protecting against certain forms of cancer and infections and is also essential for good vision. Calcium plays a primary role in the development of bones, teeth and is essential for muscular function. Traditional food provides excellent sources of vitamin A and calcium but their consumption appears inadequate. The proposed projects aims at describing cultural, ecological, socioeconomic factors as well as individual preferences which influence the consumption of calcium and vitamin A.
Project Description: Data collection will proceed with the organization of focus group meetings. Women will be invited to participate in the study through promotion of the project in the community. Women are the most likely group to provide information on nutrition as well as influence food intake of the family. A food preference assessment will be conducted at the start of the focus group discussions. Focus groups will serve as a method to discover the attributes that influence the consumption of vitamin A and calcium rich foods in the community of K'asho Got'ine. Focus group discussions will provide the tools to determine the foods that will be most appropriate for promotion in the community.
