Regions: Gwich'in Settlement Area
Tags: health, traditional food, market food, nutrition
| Principal Investigator: | Kuhnlein, Harriet V (11) |
| Licence Number: | 14083 |
| Organization: | Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment, Macdonald Campus of McGill University |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2008
2007
2006
2005
|
| Issued: | Oct 27, 2006 |
| Project Team: | Chief Bill Erasmus (Co-Investigator, Assembly of First Nations), Sharon Snowshoe (Community Advisor, Tetlit Gwich'in Council ), Shirley Snowshoe (Community Advisor, Chief Julius School), Olivier Receveur (Co-Investigator, Universite de Montreal), Laurie Chan (Co-Investigator, University of Northern British Columbia), Elizabeth Vittrekwa (Project Coordinator, Tl'oondih Healing Society) |
Project Description: The intent of the research is to create sustainable community-driven activities to support improving the diet of the entire community of Fort MacPherson. The focus of the project will be on young women and children. The research questions are: Can diet be improved with a program of food-based interventions? What impact does this have on the health of the community? What activities can be implemented to enhance use of traditional food? What activities can be implemented to improve accessibility and use of quality market food, particularly fruits, vegetables and dairy products? What activities will sustainably reduce demand for low nutrient foods such as sugary beverages, particularly by school-aged children? At the commencement of the project, a project coordinator resident in the community was hired, and community steering committee formed. CINE has built food composition and dietary data bases with relevant information for Gwich’in dietary analyses. With dietary background information in hand, baseline assessments (interviews and body measurements) were conducted. Similar measures on health will be made in the final year of the project. Health promotion activities are being planned and tracked with indicators to maximize healthy diets of school children and adults. Assessment will take place throughout the project, guided by regular summaries from each activity. Activities that have taken place include: a cookout at Chief Julius School, group walks, and compilation of a cookbook. Those activities that can be sustainable without a paid assistant will be determined for the closure of the project. Final assessments will be conducted during the same season as baseline. Results will be returned to the community, including a plain language summary in both English and Gwich’in. Local radio in both English and Gwich’in will be used throughout the project. The study will be conducted in Fort McPherson from 27 October to 31 December, 2006.
