Regions: Gwich'in Settlement Area
Tags: health, traditional food, northern community, nutrition
| Principal Investigator: | Kuhnlein, Harriet V (11) |
| Licence Number: | 13825 |
| Organization: | Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2008
2007
2006
2005
|
| Issued: | Jun 06, 2005 |
| Project Team: | Chief Bill Erasmus (Co-investigator, Assembly of First Nations), Hazel Nerysoo (Collaborator, Tetlit Gwich'in Council), Sharon Snowshoe (Collaborator, Tetlit Gwich'in Council), Shirley Snowshoe (Collaborator, Chief Julius School), Olivier Receveur (Co-investigator, Universite de Montreal), Laurie Chan (Co-investigator, McGill University) |
Project Description: The main intent of this study is to create a sustainable, community-driven base of activities that will support improving the diet of the entire Tetlit Gwich'in community. The questions this study addresses are: Can the diet be improved over a 2 to 2 ½ year program of food-based interventions? What impact does this have on the health of the community? What activities can be implemented that will enhance use of traditional food? What activities can be implemented that will improve accessibility and use of good quality market food, particularly perishables such as fruits, vegetables and dairy products? What activities will sustainably reduce demand for low nutrient-dense foods, especially sugary beverages, particularly by young and school-aged children? The focus of the study will be on young women and children. This is the first year of a three year project. The community of Fort McPherson will play an active role in guiding project activities. A steering committee comprised of community members/leaders will be formed. A project assistant from the community will be employed to coordinate activities. Realization of the project’s goal to maximize healthy diets of school children and adults will have obvious health and educational benefits for the community. Baseline assessments will be conducted during a 3-week period. The research team plans to collect data from women of under age 45, children between age 1 and 5, and children between age 10 and 15. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants. In the case of children, consent from parents/caretakers will be obtained. An environmental assessment of the food resource ecosystem will also be done. Throughout the project, process assessment will take place, guided by regular summary notes from each activity. Results will be returned to the community for their assistance in interpretation. A one-page plain language summary will be prepared in both English and Gwich’in for community residents. The researchers will follow usual community protocols for sharing project results. The study will take place in Fort McPherson from July 1 to December 31, 2005.
